When Words Become Superfluous
by LokiLove24028
Summary: Evelyn is the first ever intern the BAU has accepted and is extremely nervous. Evie is one to overthink and let her nerves get to her, but when Spencer takes her under his wing, she thinks things may just turn out alright. As time goes on with Reid, she realized things may turn out much more than alright. She promised herself to never fall in love again, but he may just change that
1. New Beginnings

"Let go of yesterday. Let today be a new beginning and be the best that you can, and you'll get to where God wants you to be."  
>-Joel Osteen<p>Evie took a deep breath looking at all the papers spread out on her desk in her small apartment. Her name stared up at her fom all the information and admittance packets: Evelyn Charlotte Lawrence they all said. SSA Evelyn Lawrence... she tried out in her mind. She smiled she liked the sound of that. Hopefully someday soon she could own up to that name. Her first day as an intern at the BAU started tomorrow, and she couldn't possibly bemore excited and nervous at the same time. She heard these people were good. Real Evelyn was one to freak out and overthink small matters, but she couldn't help herself. Before she had even though of sleeping, she had been stayingup learning as much as she possibly could about her next division, the protocols, the guidlines, past cases, and all of the team members whose names she went through one last ime" Aaron Hotchner, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, David Rossi, Spencer Reid, and Derek Morgan. She hoped she was ready.<p>

Evie yawned and stretched back in her chair. Her eyes stung with fatigue although her mind still raced with thoughts of tomorrow. She had to at least try to go to bed though. It was already 1:30AM and she had to get up at 6:30. Evie stood up and shoved the admittance files into the brown folder with the FBI logo on the front. She padded across the tile floor, through her living room full of sketches and paintings on the tables, walls and chairs, into her bedroom.

Standing in front of the mirror plastered on her wall, Evelyn combed her hand through her deep red-brown hair that reached right past her shoulder and ever so slightly curled at the ends. Her own deep gray eyes stared back at her as she fixed her hair into a loose bun as she always did before bed. Her tihgt gray tee hugged her waist right above her favorite navy blue plaid pajama pants. Satisfied with her comfort, Evie switched off the light and crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep. The same questions kept running through her mind though. What if the BAU agents didn't like her? What if she screwed up? What if she just didn't belong there?

'Stop it, Evie.' she scolded herself. Why'd she have to overthink everything? She used to be so easy-going and so loose. Ever since her mother died however, she just had become more high strung. Not to mention more distant, shy, secluding...

Evie sighed and turned to face her window on the far side of her bedroom. She liked being alone though, didn't she? She had her art, her books, her job; what more could she need?

'A friend. Someone who loves me.' she thought, but then quickly dismissed the thought. She didn't need that. She was fine being alone. She was fine.

"Damn..." Spencer muttered under his breath. He wasn't one for swearing unless it was a special occasion. This was definitely a special occasion. The line stretched all the way out the store; how was he supposed to get his coffee now? Dr. Spencer Reid glanced down at his watch again. He only had fifteen minutes to get to work at his normal time. Granted, his normal time was unecessarily early, but he didn't want to mess with the system. To wait for his favorite coffee, or to settle for the coffee at the office... couldn't he just do both? Spencer put his arm back down at his side and took a couple steps forward in line. Yeah, he could do both he decided.

By the time Spencer got to the front, he had seven minutes and twenty four seconds to get to work, so he ordered his usual in a hurry. Unpatiently and rapidly tapping his foot, Spencer let his mind wonder to whatever came to mind first, this time being going through Shakespeare's Othello word for word for fun. He never missed a scene, or a phrase, or even a word for that matter. The same went for nearly all of Shakespeare's work as well as many other of his favorite authors and writers. An eidetic memory was always very helpful.

"Sir, your coffee." a girl said from behind the counter, holding out Spencer's coffee to him. He gave her the money for his drink and a small smile before glancing down at his watch. Only five minutes and 53 seconds left to be on his regular time. Reid spun around and began to hurry out the cafe, but he wasn't expecting another girl to be directly behind him with her own coffee in one hand and papers that she was trying to get in order with the other. Spencer bumped into her arm accidentally, and she lost grip of her coffee cup. Thank god Reid had fast reflexes. He had the FBI to thank for that.

Spencer shot a hand forward and grabbed her cup before it could fall and gave her an apologetic look. That's when he realized how completely gorgeous she was... her brown hair with the faintest tint of red, her flawless skin, her petite figure, and what Spencer loved most of all were her eyes. Her eyes were the most peircing of grays that he has never seen before. Reid noticed that he was staring and cleared his throat.

"I- Um, sorry. Didn't know you were there." Spencer apologized as he handed her back her coffee. She gave him a shy and sweet smile that made Reid want to smile back.

"It's okay. I probably shouldn't be standing here." she said, taking the coffee. "Thanks, by the way. Great reflexes."

Spencer would've said something else, but dear god her eyes... What was he doing? This was just some random girl that he ran into at the cafe... literally. Why was he so nervous?

"I have to go, I'm running a... um... bit behind. Sorry, again."

With that, Spencer gave her a small nod and smile and rushed out of the cafe. Part of him wanted to kick himself for acting in such a way with some girl who he didn't know and would never feel the same about him. Another part of him kicked himself for not getting her number. Reid decided it was just best if he shook it off. He'd never see her again, so why did it matter? The thought made Spencer strangely dissapointed. He had to get to work though. Spencer took a sip of his coffee once he reached his car and then climbed in, forgetting the beautiful shy girl in the coffee shop.

"Hey, leave some sugar for the rest of us!" Morgan smirked as he nudged Spencer playfully.

"I'll give you some sugar." Garcia's voice cheekfully said from behind them as she passed through the kitchenette, her heels clicking against the floor.

"Mmmm, I like the sound of that." Morgan played along, smirking as he watched their Technical Analyst leave. Spencer gave a small smile as he stopped the excessive flow of sugar into his cup and set the container back down at the counter. He loved mornings at the BAU before they were burdened with awful gruesome cases of mutilated bodies and sick serial killers. Before they engaged in that, his team was loose and fun. Spencer loved that about them.

"You know, the reason sugar is so addictive is that it releases an opiate-like substance that activates the brain's reward system." Reid said in rushed words. Morgan grimaced as he poured himself some coffee.

"It is way to early for your weird facts, genius." Morgan joken in his deep voice. Reid sipped his coffee and then eyed it suspiciously. Making sure Derek wasn't looking, Reid added one more swig of sugar.

"I saw that..." Derek chuckled without looking up from his own cup. Reid smiled mischeviously and excited looked down at his coffee. Yes, he had already had a coffee from the cafe, but there wasn't much harm in another. Well he knew the harm, he just didn't care. No wonder he was an insomniac.

"I need more energy!" Spencer defending, returning back to the conversation.

"You're the last person who needs more energy, Reid. You talk at like, a thousand miles per second."

"Actually, you can't measure the speed of speech in miles. You'd rather say-"

"Reid!"

"Right, sorry. I'm done now." Reid smirked as he took another sip of coffee as Morgan did the same. He enjoyed his morning conversations with Derek. The two were the most unlikely of friends, being polar opposites. They were basically brothers though, and Morgan had taken Reid under his wing after he warmed up to him when Spencer first joined the BAU. Not to say that everyone kind of took Spencer in as a baby brother. He was the baby of the team as they often reminded him. Most of the time he didn't mind. He knew that they understood Spencer was capable of taking care of himself, but for some reason they liked to baby him. It wasn't all that bad for a majority of the time. It came with it's perks.

"Hotch wants everyone in the round table room." JJ's voice came from the doorway. Reid and Morgan turned to look at her, but she was already turning and leaving, her blonde hair cascading down her back. Spencer sighed and looked down at his coffee. How he'd love one quiet morning in the BAU to just do something relaxing... like paperwork, even if the others didn't like the idea of paper work all too much.

"You think it's another case?" Morgan asked, looking over at reid. Spencer frowned up at Derek.

"You're guess is as good as mine. We just got back from one late last night, though."

Morgan took another swig of coffee and then started out the door, Spencer following behind.

"This job never sleeps." was Morgan's answer. They made their way past the bullpen where people were mindlessly working in their desk cubicles, not minding them as they passed. The two agents walked into the room to something they weren't expecting, especially Spencer. He felt like he was hit with a wall and he couldn't help his eyes as they widened beyond normal. The very same girl from the cafe was standing on the far side of the room, nervously tapping her foot and biting her lip. She seemed distracted by her thoughts, so she didn't see Spencer thankfully. He quickly sat down and tried to hide his face with his folders.

"Why do you look so nervous?" Morgan asked, making Reid jump. He smirked at Spencer's discomfort. Reid just shook his head quickly to tell him to shut up. He decided it safe to spare another glance at the girl. She was just as he remembered her. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders and her eyes didn't lose a bit of their effect that they had had on him earlier. One would expect gray eyes to be cold and uninviting, but hers were everything but. They were soft but determined, unsure but strong. Spencer could see a lot of history behind them, history that he craved to uncover. He couldn't help but stare as more of his team members walked in and seated themselves, gratefully not bothering Spence.

Why was she here? He'd never seen her around the BAU before, so why now?

Reid watched as Hotch walked in and approached the woman with a firm hand shake. She instantly tried to cover up her nerves as she smiled confidently. Spencer was impressed with how quickly she could cover up her demeanor. They were in a room full of profilers however. The others might not have cared to notice, but Spencer did. He cared. But why did he? He didn't understand why she felt so different to him. Spencer tried to stop staring but he just couldn't. He wished he could somehow make her feel less nervous.

"Everyone." Aaron spoke up, quieting any side conversations. The team instatnly quieted down and turned to Hotch eagerly. It seemed they were all wondering the same thing as Spencer was.

It was then when the mystery girl looked up making eye contact with Spencer who was still observing her. Her eyes went wide with surprise for a moment beofre Reid hurriedly looked away.

'Stupid' he thought to himself. Why didn't he just wave or at least smile? Something about her made him different. Usually he'd be confident at work with girls, just considering them co-workers and nothing more. But this was so different, he was sure of it.

"This is Evelyn Lawson. She's going to be JJs intern and a temporary member to this team. Please make her feel welcome. I know how some of you can come off as at first." Hotch added, specifically looking to Rossi who threw his hands up in defense.

Spencer felt excitement rush through his body, but instantly pushed it back down. He couldn't do this... it was naive to even think of her that way when he barely new her at all. Besides, why would she ever like him back?

"Miss Lawson, this is SSA David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid." Hotch introduced the team sitting around the table, each one nodding or smiling as they were introduced. Spencer couldn't help but notice that she kept glancing at him... or was he just imagining it?

"Nice to see you again, Dr. Reid." Evelyn said as Spencer was introduced. He nodded and gave her a small smile.

"Just Reid... or Spencer. If you'd like, that is." he said all too quickly. Morgan chuckled besides him and Spencer kicked his shin under the table. Derek grunted an "ow" but continued to smile in mockery. Yes, Derek was like a brother. That didn't just come with perks however.

"You two know eachother?" Hotch asked, looking from Spencer to Evelyn with a look of confusion.

"Um... Yeah, he saved my coffee earlier this morning." she said, while smiling at him with the same shy and unsure smile he loved.

'No. get yourself together, Spence' he scolded himself.

"Well, yeah. After I nearly killed it." he added. He hadn't meant this to be funny, but she seemed to think it was as she surpressed a laugh. Hotch raised his eyebrows at the way they were smiling at eachother across the room, making Spencer snap out of it. He watched Hotch smirk in the corner of his eye. Why were him and Morgan seeming to have a secret understanding of what Spencer was thinking? There wasn't anything going on between him and the new girl.

"Alright. Well then we'll put Miss Lawson's desk across from yours, Reid. you think you can help her move in?" Hotch proposed. Spencer knew that look. He was trying not to smile and keep his normal serious expression. Reid wasn't fooled. He knew exactly why he put Evelyn next to is desk. Reid played along and shyly nodded. He acted intrigued in his folders so that they wouldn't see how uncomfortable he was.

"How long will Miss Lawson be with us?" Rossi spoke up from the head of the table. Everyone turned to Hotch expectantly.

"Miss Lawson?" Aaron cued her to explain. She stepped forward hesitantly, but looked strong at the same time. Sure it was apparent that she was nervous, but she kept confident as well and created a sense that made you want to hear what she had to say.

"Well if you'd like, you can call me Evie." she started. Evie... Spencer liked it. "I'll be here for about nine months or until I'm assigned elsewhere. I'm helping with only the communication aspect for now, but hope to move onto learning a bit about profiling." she finished.

"This will be great. I could use an extra hand these days." JJ spoke up as she smiled sweetly at her. That's one of the main reason Spencer loved Jayge so much. No matter the person or the situation, JJ was welcoming and friendly. She was like the team's rock in a way and always kept them on their feet. Spencer watched some of the tension fall away from Evie. Another example of what JJ could do.

"Alright. Well that's all. I'm sure we'll get a new case soon." Hotch concluded. Everyone stood and exited the room either giving a smile or a handshake to the new intern on the way out. Of course Spencer was last and was left alone in the room with her. He realized the situation he was in and tried to remember to keep calm and casual. He couldn't let anyone know how nervous she made him, in a good way.

"I'll show you to your desk." Spencer said, slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder and collecting his papers without lookingup. When he turned to walk out the door, he nearly ran itno Evie who was standing closer than he though.

"Sorry, sorry! I keep doing that!" she apologized frantically. He laughed which made her look at him with a lost look.

"What?" she asked tentively, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

"Don't be so nervous. You'll fit in fine here. They may seem intimidating at first, but they're all great people." Spencer reassured her as they glanced at the team out of the window in the room. She nodded and then turned back to Spencer.

"How'd you know that I was so nervous? I thought I was covering it up..."

"Oh you did, but we all study human behavioiur. you can't really hide much around here." Spencer explained before he gestured to the door and together they walked out.

She only had a few boxes to unpack, but Spencer helped her anyway, and then went back to his desk not even five feet away.

"So..." Evie said while looking down at the papers on her desk. Spencer turned to her and raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"Dr. Spencer Reid..." she said, emphasizing doctor. "That must mean you're pretty smart, huh?"

Spencer shrugged.

"2 BAs, 3 PhDs, eidetic memory, I can read 20,000 words a minute and have an IQ of-"

"187." every one of the other BAU agents interupted in unison from their desks as if it was out of habit. Spencer shot them a dirty look, then turned back to Evie who smiled.

"Wow. Pretty impressive. 20,000 words a minute." she recited more to herself. "You must read a lot."

"Don't even get him started." JJ appeared next to Spencer's desk. she handed Evie a stack of papers and gave her an apologetic look. "Hotch wants you to go through these to debrief you on how we kind of work things around here." JJ explained as Evie looked through the papers.

"Oh, um... I think I went through them all last night." Evie saaid while flipping through the last of them and skimming over the information. Jennifer looked surprised and impressed as Evie nodded and shuffled the papers in line. "Yep, done." she said proudly. Spencer couldn't help but smile. He liked when she let her nerves go. She seemed happier that way.

Evelyn handed the papers back to JJ.

"Wow, you're great Evie. I'm glad you're helping me." JJ said, taking the papers back.

"Oh, and by the way, everyone around here calls me JJ." she told Evelyn. Evie nodded and whispered JJ's name under her breath like she was trying it out. Spencer watched her do so, thinking it was completely adorable.

"Or Jayge." Spencer added, looking up at JJ smiling. She smiled back and touseled his hair before walking away, making him grin wider and roll his eyes playfully. Spencer ran his hand through his hair to straighten it out when he noticed Evie intently watching him do so out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over at her making her quickly look down. Spencer smiled at this and got back to his work. He felt like this was going to be the beginning of something great. 


	2. To Find Reality

"We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality."

- Iris Murdoch

"Oh my goodness, is this her!?" A voice projected across the office. Evie looked up from her book that she was reading at her desk to see a very enthusiastic and brightly colored woman running through the office towards her. The woman's hair was curly and blond and bounced as she ran while trying not to fall in her bright pink heells. Evie would usually be a bit startled by someone so vibrant running towards her, but there was something about this woman that scremaed friendliness and innocence and Evelyn couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, I'm Penelope Garcia and I'm the Technical Analysist for the BAU. You can just call me Garcia." she said as if it was one rushed long sentence. Evie didn't know how she could possibly be such a bubbly person doing what she did. It must have taken a lot, and Evie appreciated that.

"I'm Evelyn Lawrence, or Evie if you'd like. nice to meet you." Evie reach her hand out to Garcia so that they could shake hands. Penelope seemed estatic about her greeting, making Evie feel good. Spencer seemed to be right. She shouldn't be so nervous all of the time. Then why did he always act nervous around her? Maybe she was just imagining it.

"I hear you'll be working with JJ. You'll love her, Jayge is great." Garcia said, her bright pink lip sticked lips still smiling from ear to ear making Evie smile as well. She already decided that she liked this girl, her happiness was contagious.

"Yes it seems like everyone here is very nice and it's only my second day." Evie said, looking from Rossi, to JJ, to Morgan, and lastly to Spencer who was grinning to himself as he pretended to look down at his papers, obviously listening in.

"I promise once you get to know everyone, you'll realize they're a lot less scary than they seem, even Hotch." Garcia assured her. Evie nodded and looked over at where Spencer sat with his coffee. He really liked coffee. Evie could easily tell that, and she has only known him for two days.

"Reid has been showing me how everything works around here." she said, making Spencer look up at the mention of his name.

"That's good. Spence is a sweetheart, aren't you Spencer?"

Spencer blushed and shrugged as he took a sip of his coffee. Evie felt a pang of... something go through her. It was something she hadn't felt in years. It was a pang of longing along with excitement and nervousness as she watched Spencer blush. She had always closed herself off from those feelings for the longest time. Why did she feel like it around Spencer then? Well he was adorable when he blushed...

Morgan noticed the three of them grouped around Evie and Spencer's desks, so he walked over to playfully push Spencer's head sideways.

"Yeah, he's the baby of this family."

"Am not!" Spencer frowned at Morgan. "I'm 31 now! Evie can be the new baby."

"Well I am 29, but I don't think I'm ready for that title yet." she said jokingly.

"Yeah, stop trying baby boy. You're stuck with us." Morgan laughed as Reid groaned, but grinned at the same time. Evie watched him mess around with Morgan. They seemed pretty close. All of them did. She decided she really was going to like it here. She just had to do something about these feelings she was getting around Dr. Reid. It was probably just a phase... wasn't it? Oh, but look at his puppy dog brown eyes, his tousled hair, his shy smile that made her stomach flip...

"Guys." JJ's voice interupted them. they all looked up where she stood at the top of the half staircase. Everyone stopped messing around and laughing to look up at her serious face. "We've got a case."

The team gathered in the room where Evelyn had first met everyone. shee was extremely nervous. this was her first case and she wanted it to go perfectly and to be able to do everything right.

"Just watch this time so you get a feel for everything." JJ told her, relieving Lawrence of her worry. She sat down, not even noticing at first that she did so right next to Spencer. She looked at JJ and waiting for her to begin, but secretly she watched Reid out of the corner of her eye to find something that made butterflies rise up in her stomach: he was watching her. She knew that look too. It was the same look she had caught herself doing yesterday.

"We have a slaughtered familly of five. Two parents and three children from Sumter, South Carolina. The parents were both 46 and their oldest son, 17. His two sisters were 14 and 11." As JJ talked, pictures of sev ered bodies in a normal looking house were displayed on the screeen behind her. Evelyn had seen dead bodies before. She used to work for another department of the FBI right out of college, but it hadn't been too directly involved with the actual crime scenes and the scenes weren't nearly as gruesome as this. Evie cringed, but continued to look at the screen.

"The adults have similar injuries with stab wonds in the abdomen and chest with their throats slit. Investigation further told us that the causes of death were the throat wounds and the stabbing came after they were already dead." she said, looking at her team seated around the table with a look of remorse for the family. She made eye contact with Evie and mouthed the words 'Are you okay?'

Evie must've been showing how horrifying the pictures were more than she thought. She took a deep breath and remembered why she was here in the first place: to bring justice to these people. Well to learn to, anyway. Her internship will hopefully lead into a pretty good spot up higher in the FBI ranks so she could more directly help the victimized families and citizens.

Answering JJ's question, Evie composed herself again and nodded. Jennifer gave her a small sympathetic smile as the team conversed about the case in quiet murmers around her. That is, except for Spencer. She felt his eyes on the back of her head and felt her heart rate pick up. Alright, she definitely thought he was cute... that didn't mean anything more. But should she turn and talk to him? Should she smile? Would that come off as too much?

'Focus on the case' she told herself.

Everyone's attention turned to Spencer when he spoke up.

"Well the frantic stabbing after the death definitely shows that the unsub did it out of rage, and a lot of it. The way he left the bodies show no sign of remorse and that he was trying to get away as fast as possible." he concluded in his rushed words that Evie had grown to love to listen to, and it was only the second day she had known him! The team nodded as if these observations were obvious, but Evie was impresssed. How'd he know all of that just from the bodies? This unit was much more interesting than she thought it would be.

"The childrens' wounds are different. they were stabbed in the chest twice, the second time being the cause of death. they were all carefully plaed in their beds with their eyes closed and tucked in." JJ finished, flinching as she described the childrens' deaths. Evie knew her to be a mother herself, and she didn't blame Jayge for being disgusted. What this killer did was sick. Why tuck them in after he brutally murdered them?

"Sick Bastard." came Morgan's voice from across the table, echoing Evelyn's thoughts.

"He definitely whowed remorse for the children and killed them quickly without the aggressive after-stabbings." Reid observed while concentrating on the photos. Evelyn glanced at Spencer and made eye contact. All the playfullness of before with Spencer had gone and he looked engaged and completely focused on the case. The softness of his eyes was still there though, and he gave Evie a small sad smile before turning back to JJ who clicked to another slide.

"Another family in the same city with the same situation. Two parents; male, 45 and female, 44. They have an older son who's 15 and two younger daughters of 12 and 10. No signs of forced entry or sexual assault in either case."

"So we already have a distinct victomology." Rossi said, also submerged in the heat of the case. Everyone seemed to let all playing around go to get into work mode. Evie appreciated that. There was always a time to be serious and a time to lighten up. this definitely wasn't a light time.

Hotch nodded in response, frowning at the screen though, Evie noticed that a frown seemed to be his permanent facial structure.

"Families of 5. Parents in their 40s with an older boy and two younger girls. They all have brown hair too. It must have a big significance to the unsub. Maybe his own family."

Unsub... it was the second time Evie heard them use that word. She had read it in past cases that she went through back at her apartment but they never explained exactly what it stood for. Obviously, she could conclude it was the "bad guy", but where did they get unsub?

"Unknow subject." Spencer whipsered in her ear making her jump as his breath tickled her neck. She whipped around to see him trying to hide a laugh as he whispered an apology. She frowned at him, wondering how he was able to tell what she was thinking just by being able to see the back of her head. Spencer caught her look and shrugged. "Everyone asks, so i assumed."

Evie mouthed back a thanks and then turned to Morgan who spoke up.

"Could the unsub be playing out a specific fantasy?" Morgan asked as he leaned back in his chair. Over the past two days, Evie could already tell that Morgan was definitely the more playful and wild of the group. Not to mention he was a ladies man, but sweet at the same time. He loved to have a good time, but as she watched him when things got serious, he really got down to business, his incredibly dark eyes seeming even more intense and intimidating.

"Iris Murcoch said We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion."

"The great task in life is to find reality." Evie subconsiously interupted and finished Spencer's phrase while she still stared thoughtfully at the screen, distracted from the fact that she had just spoken her thoughts out loud. It took her a while to realize everyone was looking at her in surprise, Spencer looking more appreciative and impressed.

"What, Spencer isn't the only one who can momorize things." Rossi spoke up, saving her as blush crept up on her checks. She gave him a grateful look and he smiled warmly and nodded back subtly. Reid and Garcia were right. One really did warm up to this team.

"Well I don't know about the fantasy, but we're going to find out. Wheel's up in fifteen." Hotch said before nodding to everyone and walking out. The rest of the team started getting up as well.

"I didn't know you liked literature so much." Spencer said as he stood up and started pushing his chair back in. Evie smiled. He had no idea.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Well you were reading Edgar Allen Poe so you must have an appreciation of the classics. I like that. You don't find many people like that anymore." Spencer said casually but with a hint of something else in his voice that sent Evie's stomach into excited flips and turns.

"Yeah, you could say I'm sort of a book junkie." she explained, surprising herself. She hadn't been so open with anyone before. Why now? What was so different about Spencer? Well for one, he was so charmingly awkwardly adorable. He was sensitive and sweet and hesitant and unsure and subtle... down to Earth.

"Hey, something we have in common then. you should try the bookstore on the corner of the street sometime." he suggested, glancing over at her as he fastened his satchel that he carried everywhere. He gestured towards the door and they started out of the room together.

"Or we could go together." Evie said as casually as she could. She just meant as co-workers... or did she? She found herself wishing it to be more. Ever since she had met Spencer... well she hadn't felt that way about anyone for a few years when she had been in her last relationship and that hadn't turned out very well. She wasn't sure if she wanted to get into another one. It had difinetely been a long time, but ever since her last boyfriend she'd sworn that she never wanted another one again. Spencer was so different though. He was so sweet and shy... could she deal with another relationship? That is if he even liked her?

"I'd- I'd like that. A lot." Spencer stuttered nervously.

Yes, yes she could.

"So... Spencer..." JJ's voice came from behind Spencer's chair on the plane. She had a mischevious hint in her voice that Reid didn't like.

"What?" he asked, not sure if he wanted to know. She sat down in the empty seat next to him and leaned in close like she was going to tell him an extremely important secret like an excited school girl.

"Don't 'what' me, Spence. It doesn't take a profiler to know that you're completely dead over heels." Spencer looked down at his feet with a genuinly lost look and then back up at JJ.

"But I'm not wearing heels last time I checked." he said in all seriousness. He didn't know why JJ found this to be so humorous.

"You. Like. Evie." she nearly spelled out for him. Spencer's eyes went wide as he shook his head frantically.

"Jayge, I- I don't know what you're talking about. We just met... just co-workers." Spencer siad, although it gurt to do so since he knew it was unfortunately true. He never said anything about wanting to go further though, and he'd prefer to keepit that way. Spencer would probably embarass himself liking apretty girl who probably wouldn't like him back.

"Ok fine, you don't have to admit it out loud to me." JJ said. "But Garcia and I are already planning the wedding. See, the flowers will be from-"

"JJ, for God's sake, I don't even know the girl's favorite color yet and you're making wedding plans?" he playfully rolled his eyes but smiled so she knew he was joking around. She smiled but it soon faded, worrying Spencer.

"Spence... you've gone through so much in the last few years." she said while fading out at the end and staring at the back of the seat in front of her.

"And... so what?" Spencer asked gently while craning his head to look JJ in the eye. She noticed his efforts and turned to face him again. Her eyes seemed to look straight through him, kind of freaking him out.

"And you deserve something good to happen to you for once. I'd hate to see you let it slip away." JJ told him, pausing every so often to find the right words. SPencer smiled at her and reached out to take JJ's hand in his own. She smiled back and rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb.

"That's sweet, Jayge. I'll... put effort into it." he carefully said, making sure not to get her too excited. "I promise. Just hold off on the wedding stuff for now." Spencer begged her with a pleading look in his eye. He loved her and Garcia dearly, but man could they embarass him! He supposed that was what familied did, though. The last thing he wanted however, was Evie finding out that a wedding was already put into effect with someone she had just met the other day. JJ sighed dramatically at his request.

"Fine. We have a deal if you get your genius butt over there to talk to her." JJ proposed with a devious smile. Spencer felt reluctance and nerves build up inside of him.

"Why not later? Later is good!" he rushed his words in a whisper. jJ raised her eyebrows at Spence then frowned at his hair. She reached up to fix it for him so it wasn't so unruly, running her fingers through the tangles making Spencer squirm.

"There. Better." Now get over there." JJ said, gesturing towards Evie and obviously disregarding Spencer's last comment. Reid glanced over at the new intern who was sitting alone and staring out the plane window. He stood up and was about to make his way over to her when he was suddenly overcome with nervousness. What was he supposed to say? He didn't even think she like him, why was he doing this?

Spencer ignored JJ's dissapointed face as he sunk back down into the seat next to her again.

"Spence!"

"JJ, I can't. What am I even supposed to say?"

JJ groaned in frustration. "Well what do you know about her?" JJ asked. Spencer shrugged.

"She likes old literature and books..."

JJ made a longing face at him like she was watching the most adorable thing ever.

"What?"

"Oh Spence, she's perfect."

"Jayge! What should I say?" he asked anxiously, stealing another glance at Evie again.

"Right, sorry. Ask her about her favorite books and authors." JJ said. Spencer thought about this. It was definitely something he knew about and could go on for hours about. Thank God it was in his comfort zone. "And don't do that Spencer thing." she warned him. Reid frowned at her.

"What 'Spencer' thing!?" he demanded defensively.

"Where you go on and on about every little thing you know about something. keep it casual and listen to what she has to say." JJ finished. Spencer opened his mouth to object and say that he didn't do that, but instantly closed it again when he thought about it. He guessed he might do that a bit...

"Right, okay. Listen, got it." he recited out loud to himself. He slowly stood up again and nervously watched Evie. She was stillf acing the other way with her hair spilling down a few inches past her shoulders and curling at the ends agaisnt her upper back. She was fidgeting with her hands that lied on her lap where she was wearing tighter black dress pants.

Come on, Spence. he thought to himself. Before he walked over to Evie, he remebered one last thing. Spencer turned and sat down quickly to throw his arms around JJ. She stiffened in surprise at first, but then relaxed and rubbed his back.

"Thanks, Jayge." he whispered before unraveling himself from her and standing to make his way towards Evelyn. He tried to ignore Morgan's smirk from across the isle. He hesitantly approached the seat next to the new intern and eased hismelf into it quietly. She kept her eyes out the window and Spencer nervously looked down at the floor, then back up to her. This was it. Don't screw up, Spencer.

Reid cleared his throat, cauging her to turn in surprise.

"Oh! Sorry, Spencer. I- I didn't realize you were there." she stammered. She's nervous too. Spencer realized. Knowing this gave him just a bit more confidence since he knew it wasn't just him.

"I've been, um... meaning to ask you about your favorite authors." Spencer said quickly, luckily sounding a little more strong than he felt. Evie smield anhd bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. Spencer watched her face as she thought and realized he'd never seen someone with such a cute thinking face...

"I mean... I really like Shakespere." she said looking to Spencer and then down at her hands in her lap. "It sounds cliche, I know."

"No, not at all. What's your favorite work from him?" he asked, expecting to hear the usual answer of Romeo and Juliet. Then he remembered who he was talking to. Evie was everything but mainstream. He loved that about her.

"Oh, definitely Othello." she said confidently, making Spencer's eeys go wide as well his smile. Now he was getting excited.

"Me too! Everyone tends to pick Romeo and Juliet, but Othello is extremeley under appreciated compared to it. In my opinion anyway.

"I know exactly what you mean!" Evie said, just as excited. and looking up at Spencer with her gorgeous gray eyes. It was the first time she really wasn't too nervous to look into Spencer's eyes for more than two seconds. Spencer realized he liked her even more than he thought. Reid also realized that she was every bit the definition of perfect in his book. And she loved books with a passion. Oh dear... he thought. Spencer Reid was quickly falling for the new intern.

They froze for a moment and just looked into eachother's eyes. Spencer had never wanted to be so forward with someone he had just met in his life. The last time he felt like this was with Maeve...

"It's like a nerd party over here." Morgan muttered, tearing htier gaze from eacho other so that Spencer could shoot him a glare as Derek smirked in his headphones. Once Spencer turned back to Evie, she was softly laughing.

"Um... sorry. I get a little too excited about books and plays and stuff." she apologized, giving him a guilty smile that made his stomach do flips.

"No, no. you can never get too excited about that. I could talk about it all day." he said, giving her a reassuring smile back. Evie smiled even wider and nodded.

"How about a whole plane ride?"

"Deal." Spencer agreed. "So tell me about your favorite scene." he said, turning to her just as JJ had earlier; like excited children excitedly telling stories and sharing secrets.

"Mmm... It'd have to be the last scene with Othello and Desdemona and the final death." she told him with a humble look.

"Ah, yes. It is the cause. Yet I'll not shed her blood; Nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, And smooth as monumental she must die, else she'll betray more men. Put out the light, and then put out the light: If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy former light restore, Should I repent me: but once put out thy light, Thou cunning'st pattern of excelling nature, I know not where is that Promethean heat That can thy light relume. When I have pluck'd the rose, I cannot give it vital growth must needs wither: I'll smell it on the tree."

Spencer finished reciting the monologue and the looked at Evie who stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. He realized he had probably just done exactly what JJ warned him not to do. He blushed and glanced down at the floor shyly.

"Sorry. I tend to talk on and on whether people want to listen or not."

Spencer hadn't thought this was funny, but Evelyn laughed a laugh that Spencer thought may have been the most angelic and contagious laugh he'd ever heard.

"No, don't apologize. That was gorgeous. How'd you memorize all of that?"

"Well I have the whole thing memorized. Having an eidetic memory means you can memorize the words you read word for word." Spencer explained. Evie raised her eyebrows and nodded. No one had actually seemed so interested in it before... or interested at all.

"So that's why you sound like a walking text book." she smiled at him. He laughed and shrugged.

"I suppose."

It was then when he realized the way she was looking at him. Her head was tilted to one side and her eyes wondered over his face, taking in all of his features. She had a sublte smile on her face and curious eyes as if Spencer was the greatest thing in the world. He felt his face slowly turn red as she looked at him in such a way, he never thought possible from someone as beautiful and perfect as her.

"Recite another scene for me." she said in a low voice, almost a whisper so that Spencer had to lean in. His heart beat faster at her words and the way she said them. Calm down, Spencer. Don't get ahead of yourself. "Please." she added. Spencer smiled.

"Name a scene, any scene."


	3. Guardian

"I never wanted a Guardian Angel. I didn't ask for one. One was assigned to me."

-Mercedes McCambridge

The plane landed in South Carolina at 2:44pm. Spencer and Evie had talked the entire time, driving Morgan up a wall who told them to geek out on their own time. Evie would name a scene from Shakespeare and Spencer would recite lines from it, making her smile. Then he'd ask her about her other favorite authors and poets. She realized that he had a lot of the same interests as her, book-wise anyway. He was just so perfect. Almost too perfect and too good to be true. Evie couldn't possibly deserve someone like him, could she?

"So Evie, what will happen now is we will go to the SPD. We'll ask them about what has been happening and get their stories and then we will further analyze the case. Hotch usually sends a few people to the crime scene and a few others to talk to families of the witnesses. Usually I talk to the families or deal with press, so that's what you'll be helping me with. At least until you pass your gun qualification tests anyway. Then Hotch may consider you to go out into the field if that's what you have your sites set on." JJ explained to her as they walked towards the doors of the Sumter Police Station.

"Yeah, I'd love to make it out to the field someday. I'm- I'm not too good with tests though."

"Don't worry. You can't possibly fail as much as Reid." Morgan's voice came from behind them. JJ sighed and Evie turned with her eyebrows raised to see Spencer get a pretty good punch in Morgan's side. He doubled over and gasped, but he still smiled at his remark. Spencer just kept walking like nothing had happened, which Evie found kind of funny.

"Boys, please behave." JJ said tiredly as if she had to remind them numerous times. This really was like a family.

"Jayge, he started it!"

"And he punched me!"

"Morgan, stop making fun of Reid. Spence, keep your hands to yourself." she sorted out and rolled her eyes as she opened the door for Evie to walk in. She thanked her and walked into the lobby of the police station. She walked to a woman at the front desk who was on the phone. JJ came up beside her and held up her FBI badge to the receptionist soundlessly who nodded and pointed to a door to the right.

The team walked into the office area of the police station and were immediately greeted by what looked to be the chief of police. He began talking to Hotch about the case, telling him about the crime scene and the relatives of the families who were wiling to be questioned. Evie couldn't much pay attention with Spencer standing right beside her. His shoulder was ever so slightly brushing up against hers and it was driving her crazy.

"Is the crime scene still untouched?" Rossi asked, bringing Evie out of her daze. The officer nodded.

"As it was the night it happened." he confirmed in a slight southern accent. Hotch nodded and gravely turned to his team who awaited his orders.

"Alright. Morgan and Reid go to the crime scene. Rossi and I will talk to anyone close with the victims and JJ and Lawrence will stay here and examine some of the evidence taken from the crime scene." He finished, looking from each person to the next as he called out their job, landing on Evie last and giving her a look that asked her if she was alright with that. Evie nodded and he nodded back, turning his attention to Rossi.

"Let's go, David."

Aaron and Rossi left and Morgan clapped Reid on the back to get him moving. Reid turned to Evie before walking out, however.

"You have all our numbers right?" he asked worriedly. She gave him a reassuring smile. He was worried about her... the thought made her heart beat just a bit faster.

"All of them. I'll call you if I need anything." Evie confirmed. Spencer relaxed and nodded, ignoring Morgan's raised eyebrows as he watched them. She didn't know why. There wasn't anything going on between them... was there?

Spencer was satisfied with her answer nonetheless, and gave JJ and her a small wave before making his way out of the door with Morgan leading the way. Evie watched him go the whole way, admiring at how soft his his curly brown hair looked and how much she wanted to touch it.

Once they left, Evie and JJ got down to business. There were boxes of evidence that officers thought may be even remotely helpful to their case and it wasn't easy to seperate the important things from the junk that didn't have any significance. She was glad JJ was there though and that she was her intern out of everyone else on the team. It's not that she didn't like them, but JJ was so sweet and so patient. She needed that.

"So how do you like it so far?" JJ asked without taking her eyes off of the evidence. Evie assumed she meant being part of the team.

"It's great. Everyone is so nice." Evelyn simply said, trying not sound too much like the rookie. JJ nodded in understanding. There was a moment of silence as Evie looked at a paper encased in plastic that looked to be a wedding invitation to someone else's wedding. Did the wedding have anything to do with the crime scene? How was she supposed to tell?

"And Spencer?"

Evie froze when JJ mentioned his name. She felt her face go red. Was it really that obvious?

"Uh... Well what- what about him?" she stuttered, taking her eyes off of the evidence to look at JJ who still didn't look up at her. She acted uninterested, but Evie could tell that JJ was going to hang on to her every word.

"I don't know... how do you like him?"

"He's-"

"Let me guess, nice?" she asked, giving her a knowing smile as she glanced up. Evie laughed at how predictable she was.

"Yeah, that."

"Anything else?" JJ frowned at her, waiting for the answer she was looking for. Evie stumbled over trying to form words. How did she get herself out of this? She couldn't have them know that she was taking a liking to Spencer. More than a liking, that is. She couldn't act like she didn't like him either though.

"I don't really know him."

"Well," JJ started to say as she closed the first box and slid over the next to open the lid. She took out a hand full of evidence bags and continued through them. Evie suddenly wasn't able to concentrate on the evidence though. "He's geeky. In a cute way. He's such a sweetie, he's loyal, he's sensitive. And he's-" JJ started to say, but cut off at the end. She looked sadly up at Evie. "He's been through a lot. The last few years have been everything but easy for Spence. He may not show it, he's been strong and is just a light and happy person in general so he can deal for the most part. But some things... they still haunt him."

Evie let that sunk in. She was right about you not being able to tell that Spencer was burdened with a heavy past thought. He seemed so light and innocent. What could he possibly have been through?

"How so?" Evie asked in a quieter voice than she had expected.

"His mother has had schizophrenia for as long as he can remember and his father left him at a young age. He was tormented pretty badly in high school. The first time he shot someone really got to him for while. Then he was kidnapped and he- well he'll have to tell you more about that. Poisoned by anthrax, shot in the leg, shot in the neck, and the only girlfriend that he's ever had was murdered right in front of him."

Evie just froze and looked at JJ with wide eyes. She felt her heart ache for someone who was just barely an acquaintance to her. But no, he wasn't just an acquaintance... he was someone Evie was falling for and quickly.

"Oh my god." she was finally able to whisper under her breath. JJ nodded and looked up at her with a determined look in her eye.

"You know, he seems to enjoy his time with you."

Evie didn't know if she was trying to hint at something or if she just was going off of her instinct. She hoped JJ knew something she didn't. Maybe Spencer liked her and she wasn't catching on? Damn Evie... she thought to herself. And you said you'd never fall this hard again.

What if he hurt her like her last boyfriend? What she gave all she had to him just for him to leave her for another girl and leave Evie broken and alone with serious trust issues? She never quite became herself again after Calvin had left her. She had been convinced that he was the one so she put everything into their love. They were engaged and everything. Just to later find out that he was cheating and left her for another. That was the reason she was so self concious. That was the reason she had become so withdrawn, so unsure, so afraid of anything to do with commitment.

But Spencer wasn't like that. He couldn't be.

"I enjoy my time with him to." Evie said, extremely bold for her. JJ beamed at her and nodded excitedly, trying to get herself in check. Evelyn supposed that was the answer she wanted to hear. For the rest of their search they didn't say much, but it was a good silence. A silence that told Evie that maybe joining the BAU was the best thing she's ever decided to do.

After twenty minutes or so with JJ's phone ringing with occasional updates from Hotch, Evie's phone was the one to ring. She slid it out of the pocket of her slick black blazer and answered.

"Evie?"

It was Spencer. Her heart sped up and her breathing quickened.

"Yeah, it's me. What can I do for you?"

JJ looked over her with a raised eyebrow and Evie mouthed 'Spencer' to her. She wiggled her eyebrows at her making her laugh and cover her mouth with her hand. She liked JJ.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Ooook. Hey I need a favor."

"Ok, shoot."

"We think we figured out where the unsub's next target is."

Evie was surprised by this. Already? She knew Spencer was specialized in Geographic Profiling, but she didn't know he was that good. Well of course he was. He was good at everything it seemed.

"That was fast." she said and then tapped JJ on the shoulder to get her attention. She covered the phone's receiver with her hand and whispered,

"They found the unsub's next target." to JJ. She looked confused as well and set the things she was holding down and asked to turn the phone on speaker.

"We need you to just send some officers down to this address. Uh, hold on." he said. There was a sound of crinkling paper over the loud speaker of the phone and Spencer recited the address. "1449 West Liberty Street. It's in the neighborhood right next to the post office." he said into the phone. Evie looked over to JJ and she nodded before hurrying out of the room to find the chief officer.

"Alright. They'll be there shortly." Evelyn said. "And Spencer..."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

There was a silence and then Spencer finally answered. "I will, I promise." He hung up after that and Evelyn smiled down at her phone. She took an excited jittery breath and then put her phone back into her pocket. He made her feel like screaming like an exhilarated teenage girl.

"Hey, Hotch called and wants me over at the house too." JJ said, walking back in the room out of breath. Her blond hair flew behind her in light whisps as she walked in and Evie noticed how gorgeous JJ was. She wished she could be more like her. "He doesn't want me to go alone so he wants you to drive, but stay in the car."

It was then when Evie realized JJ was carrying not one, but two FBI bullet proof vests. JJ looked at her guiltily and handed her one.

"Just in case. Don't worry. If things go as planned, no one with a gun should come near you."

"If things go as planned?" Evie asked nervously looking down at the vest in her hand like it was a repulsive creature. "But I'm not ready! Am I? Well I am in the FBI! That doesn't mean I am ready for field work though. Or am-"

"Evie! Geez, you sound like Reid with your rambling. Calm down and take a deep breath. You don't have to go if you don't think you can." JJ said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking into her eyes. Evie did what JJ said and took a deep breath. She felt better. A little.

"I'm ready."

Evie pulled up into the driveway of the normal suburban home. It was so... average. It was so hard to imagine a normal family being brutally murdered by a vicious serial killer. One moment you think everything is fine and the next you're dead. The thought was terrifying.

"Alright. Pull the car back down the driveway and park in the street. Keep your head down and if you need anything, just call. I'll have an officer stand outside by the car. You will be fine Evie." she said. Evelyn nodded and took another deep breath. She had been overthinking it like she did with everything else. She would be fine and the bad guy... wait no, unsub... would be caught. She couldn't be worried forever if she wanted to go into this line of work.

When Jennifer had tightened her vest, she popped the door open and closed it again when she hopped down onto the driveway. She gave Evie thumbs-up from outside the car window and Evie gave her a forced smile. With that, they went their seperate ways. Evie backed up to park on the side of the street and JJ walked to the front door for Morgan to open the door and let her in. Earlier JJ had told her that they had removed the family to a new location and were just waiting for the unsub to come to them. She said that cases usually didn't end this early, but not all unsub's were the smartest. Evie was glad. She could use an easy case for her first.

Sitting there gave her time to let her mind wander. And what did it wander to? Of course it was Spencer. His shy smile, his glimmering eyes, the way he looked at her. He cared. She hadn't had anyone who ever really truly cared about her since her mother died. Her father loved her yes, but after she had died he became withdrawn from even Evie. She never gave up on him, though. She went to visit every holiday. She called twice every week. She sent him things in the mail. And still he was never the same father she once knew, leaving Evelyn completely alone.

Lost in her thought, Evie didn't even realize that things had become unusually quiet. The twenty minutes that had already passed were filled with sounds of cops talking over radios and voices coming from the house, orders being shouted out... where were those sounds now?

Before Evie could even give it a second thought, an earsplitting shattering sound filled the air. The windows of her car cracked and crashed in a thick rain of glass down on her. Evelyn covered her head with her hands and ducked down, shreeking at the sudden explosion of shards cutting her hands. She had to think quickly, but she didn't even know what had happened! She stole a glance up through her hands and saw a clear bullet hole through some of the remaining window. So someone was shooting at her from the driver side of the car.

Evie kept her head down and crawled to the other side of the car, having some difficulty over the cup holder and arm rest. She eventually dropped back down besides the passenger seat however, and then slowly oppened the door. She made sure to keep her head down while she climbed out onto the street. She didn't bother closing it again, scared it would make to much noise. She flattened her back against the backseat car door, making sure none of her was showing through the window. It was one of the huge black SUVs the FBI owned so thankfully it wasn't hard.

"Evie!" she heard Morgan yell from the direction of the house. She kept down though. Her heart was racing and felt like it would beat right out of her chest. She tried to keep her breathing down, but it was hard. She couldn't think clearly and she knew it was bad if her judgement was clouded at this moment but what was going on! She didn't want to die!

Calm down, Evelyn! she scolded herself. That was until she heard another shot ring out. This time it seemed to be directed towards the house. Morgan! she thought. No, no, no...

"Get down!" she heard Morgan yell and let out a relieved breath. Thank god he was alright. She couldn't say the same for herself though. Evie heard the drivers door open slowly, and she didn't think it was anyone good.

"No!" she heard Spencer's voice from near the house. "Evie!" He must have still thought she was in the car, but soon the unsub found out the opposite. She decided it safe with the tinted windows to peek through the back to see what was going on. There was an unfamiliar man angrily punching the seat of the car, causing more shards of glass to fall. Past him, there was another man with his gun pointed at the house where Morgan and Reid were crouching down behind the wall of the garage. Morgan was just barely holding Reid back from running to her, and for that she was glad. It would be stupid, he'd get killed by the one of the unsubs. So there ended up being more than one!

She ducked back down quickly when the man's eyes started sweeping the car. Did he see her? She listened as closely as she could for what he was doing. She heard the sound of leather being shifted... oh no... he was climbing to the passenger side. Evie knew she had to move quickly and quietly, but then there was the second unsub on the other side of the car! He was facing away though, and it was better than being found by the one making a point to look for her.

Lawrence kept crouched low and moved to the back of the car and around to the other side, cringing as she made a small noise by crushing glass under her foot. The house came into view as well as the man who was only ten feet away, guarding it. She swore even from the distance she was from him, she could see Reid's eyes go wide as she huddled against the car right behind the second unsub. The other one was just beginning, to open the passenger door to find she wasn't there...

"Where'd she go! She can't get away, she'll get help!" the man growled inside the car. Evie held her breath and listened to her heart beat frantically. She froze there as the mans rough voice pierced through her. Please don't turn around, please don't turn around... she prayed agaisnt the unsub in front of her.

Evie's luck really wasn't all to great that day.

The man opened his mouth and glanced back to answer, but caught sight of the FBI agent, or intern in this case, crouching down frozen against the car door. Evelyn could've sworn her heart stopped right there, right then. Luckily, he seemed just as startled and surprised. In that moment that he was caught off guard, Evie cuaght movement from by the house. Spencer run out onto the driveway, gun raised and unhesitantly, he shot the man through the back and chest so he collapsed in a pool of blood. The onther unsub inside of the car sounded like he shifted to turn on the leather, but it was too late for him too. Spencer ran and took no time to shoot him too, the sound of his body thudding the ground was something Evie wouldn't easily forget.

She finally let out a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground, burying her head in her hands and taking deep breaths. She was safe and alive, and it was because of Spencer. He stood there in shock as well, just staring at the dead unsub on the ground then in the car. Just as he turned to Evie, JJ came running down the driveway to fall to her knees and wrap her arms around Evie. She couldn't help but smile appreciatively as JJ squeezed her tightly.

"I'm so sorry. If I had known that he would've come to the car..."

"No, it's ok. You couldn't have known." Evie said as JJ leaned back again, releasing Evie from her grip. She gave a shaky smile to JJ. She knew it wasn't to convincing, but it would do.

"Come on, let's get someone to look at your hands." JJ said looking down at her bloodied wrists and hands. She had almost forgotten about the glass cutting through her skin. Now that she did think about it, it stung.

When the ambulence showed up, they had medics sit Evie down and disinfect her hands before wrapping her right one in gauze since it was considerably worse than her left. Other than that, she was ok. She didn't need hospitalization or anything like that, she was just more startled than anything. That's probably why she jumped when Spencer came and touched her shoulder gently as he sat on the ledge of the ambulence next to her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. Evie looked at him with wide eyes. She wanted to hug him... no she needed to hug him. He'd saved her life and the entire time she was being hunted by the unsub, all she wanted was to feel safe in his arms. She began to move her arms forward, but at the last second, she chickened out. She reached for his hand instead and squeezed it with her wrapped up left one. Spencer looked down at their joined hands and then back up at her with a smile.

"You save my life, Spencer. Thank you." she said. Spencer shrugged.

"Anytime. Anywhere." he said sweetly, looking her staight in the eye. She felt excitement rush through her body. She let what happened sink in and took a deep breath. She wasn't freaked out anymore. And she was sure it had everything to do with the way held her hand. She felt safe, and loved, and in love... she was in love with Spencer Reid. She just needed to find the courage to say it someday, and maybe he'd love her too. 


	4. Poetry with Arms and Legs

"The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs."

-Charles Baudelaire

It had been nearly a week since Evie's first case and she was just letting it die down in her mind. She'd been freaked out for a long while and unfocused, but the more time she spent with the team, the happier she became. She loved coming to work now that she knew all of them a bit better. She loved coming in early to see Spencer already on his second or third cup of coffee, reading books and flipping through the pages inhumanly fast. She loved hearing Penelope's kind voice calling Good Morning to everyone as she whizzed through the office in flying colors of pink, yellow, purple, blue... you name it. Morgan would always come in and make some comment to Reid to annoy him and Reid would retort back while JJ would give Evie an annoyed look as they rolled their eyes together at their childish bickering. She didn't see much of Rossi and Hotch since they were in their offices above the bullpen, but when they did come out they always checked on how everyone was doing, making small conversations. It was a great way to start every day.

"Whatcha reading?" Evie asked, looking over at Spencer who was running his finger down each page as he read, reading each one in less than two seconds.

"Stiff. It's about human cadavers and how they're dissected." Spencer mumbled while still engrossed in the book.

"What are those?"

"Dead human bodies. They split them down the middle and skin them to study their insides. It's interesting how-"

"Geez, Spencer. Why don't you read something that's not so dark? You're dampening my morning." Evie jokingly smiled at him, making Spencer look up. He noticed her face and smiled as well. The notion still made her go dizzy. He looked so charming when he smiled.

"Sorry. You don't read non-fiction?"

Evie shook her head. "No, I'm very much a fiction person."

Spencer nodded and shrugged. "Well that's where I'm the opposite, I guess. I've been meaning to get into fiction more though."

"Well... maybe we can help eachother out with that? You get me started on some non-fiction and vise versa." Evelyn said, trying to subtly make more plans to spend time with Spencer. He seemed to get extremely nervous when she mentioned this. Had she moved too fast?

"Yeah, I'd... I'd like that." he smiled at her, just as JJ walked in. "Hey Reid, Morgan's looking for you. I think he's in the conference room."

"No, he's not. He's not even here yet."

JJ rolled her eyes and shot him a dirty look.

"Reid, I'm giving you your cue to leave. Girl talk." she said as if it were obvious. Spencer raised his eyebrows at Evie who smiled at him and shrugged.

"I see, I see. You girls have fun then. At my desk. Like there's no where else to go." he said, although not unkindly. Reid stood and left, and Evie stole a glance before turning to JJ to see what the fuss was about.

"So, tonight the team is going out to the bar and you should come." JJ said while leaning up against Reid's desk in a comfortable position to talk to Evelyn. Evie nodded. It had been a while since she had been out. In fact it had been over a year since she has been out. "Spence will be there!" JJ added, giving her a suggestive look, that made Evelyn laugh.

"JJ, there's nothing-"

"Going on! Yes, so you deny. Come on, it'll be fun though." JJ interupted. Evie sighed and gave a small smile.

"Ok, of course I'll go. When and where?"

JJ beamed at her acceptance of the invitation and excitedly told her to meet at a place called Mick's at 7.

"And dress up pretty nice, but not work nice; party nice." Jennifer described. Evie couldn't even remember the last time she had dressed up "party nice" for anything. Her weekends usually consisted of staying in her apartment sketching or reading or taking walks in the park with her coffee or tea. This could be a nice change, and maybe tonight something would happen with her and Spencer. The thought sent excited jitters through her body.

"Alright. Sounds like a plan." she said.

Nine hours later, Evelyn stood in front of the mirror of her dim apartment. She had curled her hair a bit more so that it wasn't just on the ends and had more definition. She was wearing her red dress that she didn't even know she still had. It was hugged her waist and thighs tightly to shape her body and every curve. The middle had a slit that was covered with red lace that just barely showed the skin of her stomach, the same for her shoulders. The back was nearly all open, making her shiver in her cold apartment. It had been a while since she had done make up for special occasions, but luckily it didn't look half bad. She used liquid liner instead of her usual pencil and used smokey colors for her eye shadow. She usually didn't like to use this much, but JJ had suggested to go out of her comfort zone at least for tonight. She put on lip gloss without color to her lips so it wasn't too drastic. With one last look in the mirror, Evie sighed and nodded to herself. This was definitely a step up from being alone on Friday in her cold and bland apartment.

Evelyn moved to her closet and dug through the pile of shoe boxes to find one that was hardly used. She opened it to find her black sandal heels that she hadn't worn since the night she became engaged. She wiped away the memory and slipped the shoes on and then gave one more look in the mirror before grabbing her keys and walking out.

"I'd tap that, Pretty Boy." Morgan said, coming over to Reid and slapping him on the back. Spencer frowned at him and rubbed the spot just below his shoulder where Morgan had slapped him.

"I don't get it. Tap what?"

"It means you're looking good, Spence." JJ explained as she thanked the bartender for her drink and sipped it through her straw.

"Not good, sexy." Garcia added, raising her eyebrows at Reid. He raised an eyebrow at them and smiled at them, unsure.

"Um, I still don't get it but thanks?" He was just wearing a blazer over a white dress shirt was was a little bit more see through that he had intended it. He wore black jeans and his usual converse, he didn't see was was so special.

"Except... wait let me fix you." JJ said as she put her drink down with a clink and jumped off the stool to make her way over to Spencer. Her hands went for his chest, making him look at her weird and pull away only for JJ to grab him and bring him close. She examined him from head to toe then frowned at his shirt. "This could be undone a bit..." she murmured under her breath as she unbuttoned a few of the top buttons of Spencers dress shirt.

"Hey wait! JJ!" Spencer tried to complain as he squirmed.

"Hold still."

"Fix his hair, Jayge." Garcia said, raising her glass to gesture towards Spencer's hair.

"My hair is fine!"

"We're girls. Let us do what we do best." Garcia retorted. Spencer winced as JJ reached up and ruffled his hair into a mess.

"Yeah, you seem to be doing great." he muttered, making JJ slap him on the arm.

"I'm not done, be patient."

JJ ran her hands through his hair which would've been weird if he didn't consider her a sister. She smoothed down a few parts, leaving the rest a bit ruffled and more natural. She stepped back and clasped her hands together to admire her work.

"Hey, I've got to say, nice job JJ." Morgan said, leaning on the bar to look at Reid.

"Are you all done using me as your doll now?" he asked uncomfortably pulling his jacket closed over his shirt.

"Leave it!" JJ scolded him. Reid groaned and let the jacket fall open again.

"Dang, is that our Dr. Spencer Reid?" a voice came from behind Garcia. Spencer looked over shoulder with the bright magenta strap of her dress to see Hotch walk up to the bar and order a drink, nodding a hello to everyone.

"Credit goes to our talented ladies over here." Morgan wiggled his eyebrows at Garcia, making her give him a seductive look.

"Mmmm, do I get a reward?"

"You bet, baby girl."

"Ugh, please get a room." JJ interjected, making them chuckle. To be real, everyone was completely used to their endless flirting at this point.

"I think Spencer might get a reward from a certain intern looking like that." Hotch said after sipping his beer. Everyone turned to him in utter surprise. They always did when he'd loosen up and crack a joke. It took them a while to get over the fact that their boss had actually said that. JJ was the first to crack up, Morgan and Garcia following. Spencer let himself fall into a bar stool and bury his face in his hands that was getting red. He couldn't help but smile despite being embarrassed.

"The fact that it came from Hotch makes it so much worse." he whined into his hands. JJ rubbed his back and squeezed his shoulder.

"Come on, when's it going to happen, Spence?"

"Not in my BAU." Rossi's voice said as he sat down next to Spencer. Reid side glanced at the newly arrived David Rossi and gave him a confused look. Rossi gave him a soft smile, telling him he was kidding. Spencer wasn't too sure he was though.

"Speak of the devil." Hotch said making everyone look to where his gaze was turned. Spencer was the last to figure out what was going on. He looked around with a lost look until he saw her. She at the entrance of the dim bar but her red dress easily stood out among the crowd. It fit her body so perfectly and cut off halfway up her thigh. It was tight around her hips and the cut out parts of the dress covered in lace was driving Spencer crazy. She looked left and right, looking for the team. Her perfectly curled hair brushed over her shoulders and down the top of her back and Spencer wished to be able to feel every gorgeous curl and bury his face into it to nuzzle her neck. She wore black heels that matched her black bracelets and her eye make up was darker, making her eyes look even bigger. She was beautiful.

"That's one fine devil." Morgan muttered as everyone watched her. She finally spotted them and did a small double take when she noticed they were all staring at her. She gave a confused smile and made her way over to them. Even in the low lighting, Reid could tell she was blushing.

"You, my darling, look absolutely delicious." Garcia was the first to say making Evie nervously laugh.

"Thank you, so do you. All of you. It's nice to see everyone out of the usual work attire." she said looking from one to another. Her eyes landed on Spencer last. He watched her eyes go wide and her mouth slightly opened. He bit his lip self consciously sunk back into his stool nervously.

"It- It was JJ." he stammered. He saw Morgan raise his eyebrows at the way they were looking at each other. In fact, everyone seemed to be watching.

"No, it- you look- um, wow... great, Spence." she said, finally giving him the warm smile that he knew and loved. It melted away all of his self consciousness, causing him to give her a lopsided smile back.

"What did I tell you?" Spencer barely heard Hotch quietly say to Garcia who laughed.

"So what kind of drinks do you like, Miss Evelyn?" JJ asked, breaking their gazes from each other. Well Evie's gaze anyway. Spencer couldn't take his eyes off of her. She came to stand next to him, her arm brushing up against his. He felt shivers run up his spine and heat rush to his face. He longed for more than just a shoulder brush. He wanted to hold her, to hug her, to kiss her.

"Um... I haven't had a drink in a while except for wine."

"Dang, girl. You need to get out more." Garcia spoke up. Evie smiled and nodded.

"You have no idea." she said. "JJ? I trust your judgment. What do you reccommend?"

JJ beamed at her. Spencer loved how close they were getting. It would be great. His sister and his girlfriend being best friends... if he had the courage to ever ask her out.

"I've got you covered." JJ said. She waved the bartender over and ordered Evie a drink as the song changed from Aerosmith to a slower song that Spencer didn't recognize.

"Oh, love Coldplay." JJ muttered.

"What's a cold play?" Spencer asked. The team turned to him with a cross between surprised and completely weirded out looks. It was a look he was used to.

"Really, Spence?" JJ asked, smiling at him in amazement.

"There's no hope." Morgan said, smiling at JJ. Spencer gave them all defensive looks and blew a piece of hair out of his face. He didn't notice at first that Evie watched him do so, tilting her head sideways and frowning. He froze and looked at her confused.

"What?"

She smiled at him. "Nothing."

Spencer frowned at her answer, but couldn't question further as Morgan came up to them and slapped Spencer on the back again.

"Ow, stop doing that."

Morgan annoyed Reid's protests. He put an arm around both Evie and Spencer and looked from her to Reid.

"You know it's a tradition for the new intern to have a dance with the team nerd." Morgan said, smiling mischievously at the both of them on each side of them.

"I'm a doctor, not a nerd. And you made that up." Reid said replied quickly, accustomed to shooting down Morgan's crazy ideas. JJ face palmed and shook her head in disappointment. Spencer frowned until something clicked inside of him. Ohhhhh, he's trying to set me up. He realized. Oops. Good job, Spence.

"How would you know? We've never had an intern!" Morgan said as though it were obvious. "Now go on, kids. Get out there." He gave them both a light shove towards where other couples were slow dancing near an open space of floor. Spencer caught himself from stumbling forward from Morgan's shove and grabbed Evie's wrist as gently as he could without letting her fall. She stood up straight again and smiled at Spencer shyly.

"Um... Thanks." she said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear as she looked down at the ground. Spencer looked at her in that moment. He watched her nervously bite her bottom lip and blush just ever so slightly. The way she looked so shy and so unsure but at the same time so beautiful... it didn't make sense to him. She was so gorgeous. Why was she self conscious? The thought of it made him a bit sad. Suddenly he decided to do everything he could to be hers. He gained a new confidence that he had never had before. He just knew somehow, he knew that she was just so right. And he wouldn't let that slip away from him.

"Shall we?" he asked, nodding towards the dance floor. She looked over at the crowd of people slowly moving in time with the song and then back at Spencer, a grin never leaving her lips.

"After you, Dr. Reid." she said in nearly a whisper. He chuckled and took her hand, leading her through the crowd of people to a space illuminated by a dim blue light at the edge of the dancing people. He had never really danced with a girl. Not in real life anyway. He had always been a fast learner however.

"Um- the thing is I've never actually... um..." Spencer stammered, looking up at Evie for some help. She tilted her head at him and squeezed his hand that he had forgotten to ever let go of.

"Have you never danced with a girl, Spencer?"

"Well, no. Only in this one dream I had, but that doesn't count." Spencer stuttered out quickly and mentally kicking himself when he realized it was a weird thing to say. Evie found it funny though, and seemed to gain a new confidence from it. She took Spencer's hand and wrapped his arm around the small of her back so that it rested on the opposite hip. Any higher, he would've been touching her bare back and boy did he long to. She took his other hand and crossed his arm over the other and put his other hand on her other hip so that they were forced close to each other. Spencer's heart was beating at what seemed like a million beats per second and he swallowed nervously as she moved her arms to wrap around his neck. After that, his instincts took over. She basically led the way as they lightly swayed to the music and soon the nerves faded away.

"So..." she said once they were comfortably dancing together. "You really don't know what Coldplay is?"

Spencer laughed quietly. "No... should I?"

Evie pursed her lips in thought and then shook her head. "Not if you're Spencer Reid, apparently." she said. "The song is called 'See You Soon'. They used to be my favorite." she said, looking into Spencer's eyes. He didn't dare break their gaze.

"And what's your favorite now?"

"Hmm... I don't know. It's too hard to choose. You?"

"I don't know. I haven't given it too much thought. All i know is Beethoven is my favorite composer. He was born in present day Belgium in 1712 and..." Spencer trailed off, realizing what he was saying. Evie tightened her arms around his neck just ever so slightly, but it seemed to make the biggest of difference to Spencer. Their faces were only about five and three fourths inches away now... their lips were not even half a feet away... He had such an urge to close the remaining space but that'd be moving way too fast. Spencer wasn't Morgan, he couldn't do what he was able to do so easily with getting girls.

"What?" Evie asked worriedly, wondering why Spencer had faded off his last sentence.

"I realized I was rambling."

"I like your rambling."

Spencer raise his eyebrows at her in surprise.

"Really? No one on Earth has ever said that before. They all cut me off. At the most they just ignore me."

Evie frowned and just barely grazed her fingers against the side of his neck, making him shiver from the feathery light contact.

"If you didn't have your random pointless facts, you wouldn't be Spencer." she said. "And everyone loves their baby Spencer." she said, smiling jokingly at her. He rolled his eyes and smiled.

"They won't ever let me free of the baby title."

"It's cute."

"Yeah, if it's not you!" he laughed, making her laugh too. For the first time, he broke his gaze from hers to look over her shoulder to where his friends were sitting to see just what he expected. Every single one of them was watching them intently. Morgan was smiling mischievously, Hotch had a small proud smile, JJ and Garcia looked like they were watching the absolute cutest thing in the entire world, and Rossi just gave Reid a small nod of approval. Spencer shook his head at them, trying to tell them to mind their own business. Thankfully JJ got his message and mentioned something to the others. They all reluctantly looked away, giving him and Evie their space.

"Spencer..." Evie said softly, surprising him with how serious her tone suddenly went.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He frowned at her. "For what?"

"For being so nice. For welcoming me into the team. For saving my life. For... well, everything." she said. Spencer shook his head.

"Don't thank me. It was my pleasure." he said, making Evie bit her lip through a smile.

"You're sweet, Spencer."

The comment made him blush. "I- um... thanks." he said nervously. For a while they just looked into each others eyes and continued dancing. Sometimes tightening their hold on each other or giving a small smile. He was lost in her eyes, the ones he fell in love with from the very first time he saw her. She had to be the one, she just had to.

The song ended, and they loosened their grip to Spencer's dismay. They stayed there still close however, and continued to watch each other intently. Other couples broke apart around them and moved back through the bar, bringing Spencer to his senses.

"I- I'm going to go get a drink. Coming?" he asked. Evie nodded and together they moved back through the crowd to their friends who all turned to watch them return. There was an awkward moment where no one said anything, but all eyes were turned to Evelyn and Spencer. When Reid realized they weren't moving on, he gave them all a look that said 'What more do you want' and they all turned back to their conversations. Spencer sat down and Evie sat next to him. He felt something between them stronger than ever before that made his chest tighten with excitement. He longed to hold her again, to dance forever. He was completely in love with Evelyn Lawrence.

"Either you're drunk or really tired, my dear." Garcia chuckled as she watched Evie tiredly blink her eyes. She yawned before she could answer Penelope's comment and stretched her right arm out. "Tired it is then." Morgan interjected as he stumbled to the bar, dropping small slips of paper everywhere.

"The same obviously can't be said for you my chocolate fountain." Garcia laughed, watching Morgan pick up the slips of papers with girls' numbers scribbled over each one. Evelyn laughed at her nickname for him and pushed her stool back away from the bar so she could hop down.

"I think that's it for me. I'm beat." she told the remaining team. "Thanks so much for inviting me here Jayge." she said looking over a JJ, using her nickname that she recently got used to. She smiled back at her and rubbed her arm.

"Anytime."

"You have fun?" Rossi asked from where he was conversing with Hotch. Evie smiled over at him and nodded.

"Oh yeah, definitely. I learned that Morgan can pick up girls as fast as Garcia types code and that Hotch actually knows how to smile." she said. Throughout the night, she had felt so much more free than she ever had. She decided to open up to these people, and she didn't regret it one bit. Someday, she hoped they'd become like her family, just as they were to each other.

"Don't get used to it." Hotch said. "Nice of you to come, Lawrence. I'll see you back at the office."

Evie nodded and went over to shake Hotch's hand as well as Rossi's who just pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek. She gave JJ and Garcia a small hug, as well as a very big one from a very drunk Morgan. That left Reid. What should she do? Should she hug him? It seemed like the right thing, but...

"Hey, I could take you home if you're too tired to drive." Reid offered. His hair was even more ruffled than it had been starting off but it looked no less adorable to Evie. She thought about the pain in her feet from the heels and how it was getting hard to keep her eyes open.

"How would you get home?" she asked. She knew JJ drove him here and if he drove her back with her own car, how was he supposed to get a car back?

"Where do you live?"

"My apartment is on the corner of Lester and Inn Street." she informed him. Spencer shrugged.

"Mine's pretty close. I'll walk."

"Oh, Spence no. No way I'm letting you walk."

"Evie, I'm fine. It's literally two blocks away and I was going to walk anyway. It's a nice night. Come on, you can barely stand. Let's go." he said, gently leading her to the door without room for argument.

"Mmm... get 'em tiger." Morgan called out as they left, making the team laugh. Evie watched Spencer blush madly as he just rolled his eyes and kept walking. She was grateful for his offer. She really was exhausted.

The car ride was almost completely silent on the way home, but it was a good silence. A silence that she happily shared with Spencer where they seemed to have an unspoken understanding between them.

"Here?" he asked, gesturing out the window to her apartment complex.

"That's the one." she nodded from the passenger seat. Spencer turned the wheel to move the car into the parking lot as Evie guided him through the rows of apartments to her own near the middle. Spencer parked the car out front and got out of the drivers seat to run to the other side and open her door for her. She felt a rush of appreciation and warmth run through her as he did this. Classic gentleman. she thought.

"Thank you. You want to come in for a second? It's not much, only a temporary living space until I find something nicer." she warned him before taking him in. Spencer shrugged and nodded.

"Sure, just to make sure you're all... um, good and... stuff." Spencer said. Evie was beginning to really love the way he awkwardly stuttered. She lead him up the stairs to her door on the second floor and turned the key in the lock, pushing open the door and stepping inside. The first thing she did was take of her heels. She had forgotten how much they killed at the end of the night.

Evie stumbled into the kitchen to flip the lights on as Spencer shut the door behind him. Once he walked into the kitchen that was joined with the living room, he gasped.

"What?" Evie asked, startled. She looked around the room for whatever Spencer gasped at and looked at him confused when she didn't find anything.

"Did- did you draw all of these?" Spencer asked, slowly making his way into her living room that was covered with sketches everywhere. He looked around in amazement at the papers lying on the tables, on the chairs, taped up to the walls, on her easle. Evie gave a confused laugh. She didn't get why he was so amazed.

"Yeah, why?"

"I- just wow. They're amazing. I didn't know you liked to draw." he said, taking the time to look at every single on of them. Evie joined his side in looking at some of her sketches that she hadn't paid attention to in a while. She drew everything from what she saw out her window, to people's faces the she knew or remembered. No one else knew about her drawings, Spencer was the first one she ever let know.

"Who's this?" he asked, pointing to a picture hung on the wall, half behind a bookshelf and half revealed. Evelyn had forgotten about that picture.

"Oh, that's my mother." she said, trying to sound casual. She hadn't said those words out loud since she died. She never had a reason to or someone to talk to about it.

"Where does she live?" Spencer asked, running his fingers lightly across the paper. I swallowed hard.

"Um... she's dead." I said plainly. It was the first time I had ever spoken those words, too. Even after thirteen years, it was still hard and made my throat feel dry. Spencer's eyes went wide and he looked at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. Evie smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder for a second before quickly removing it.

"It's ok." she assured him. Spencer looked around a bit more and Evie watched him. Spencer Reid always flabbergasted everyone else, she'd never seen him look at something in such wonder as he did now. He wasn't the one who would be amazed, he was the amazer. To think that Evie had done this, made pride build up within her.

"Hey, could you draw me?" Spencer asked, turning to look at Evie head on. They were standing not four feet from each other in the middle of a whirlwind of sketches and papers. She looked at him with a surprised gaze and frowned.

"Um... well, I guess so. You really want me to draw you?"

"Yeah, why not?" he asked. She looked at Spencer with an appreciative smile. No one has ever asked her to do that.

"Um, ok..." she said, still surprised by his request. "Sit on the floor. I'll get my sketch pad." Spencer did what he was told and Evie ran into her bedroom. She opened her nightstand drawer and hurriedly pulled out her sketch pad and grabbed a hand full of pencils and erasers. Her heart was fluttering and she felt like she could fly. Spencer Reid was sitting in the middle of her living room right this minute, waiting for her to draw him... Evie took her pillow and excitedly shrieked into it, muffling the sound as best as she could. She straightened herself afterwards, glad she got all of the bubbly jitters out and tried to keep herself calm.

After Evelyn regained herself, she walked back out into the living room where Spencer was sitting Indian Style in the middle of the carpet.

"Are you ok?" he asked with a concerned frown on his face. He had removed his jacket and was down to his thin half buttoned dress shirt that drove Evie completely insane.

"Yeah, why?"

"I thought I heard screaming..."

"Nope." Evie cut him off, making him give her a confused smile. She sat down right in front of him in the same criss-cross-applesauce manner as her kindergarten teacher would've called it. They're knees were so close to touching, but not quite. She lied her sketch pad on her lap and looked up at Spencer, realized he was intently watching her the entire time. She wasn't nervous at all anymore. This was where she was most comfortable; with a sketch pad in her lap and a pencil in her hand. Spencer didn't quite make her feel so nervous anymore. She was convinced that by some great miracle, he liked her too. She was easily able to study his face without her face getting red.

She let her eyes travel through his tousled hair down past his forehead to his eyebrows that were slightly raised as he watched her study him. Down to his eyes that seemed to look straight through her, making her chest flutter as her gray ones interlocked with his. She studied his eyelashes, the shine in his irises, the way he had somewhat of a puppy-dog look to them. Then to his nose where the shadows were perfect in the lighting and to his mouth that she imagined herself kissing...

Evie snapped herself out of it and started drawing. She moved her pencil across the page frantically, not speaking or even acknowledging Spencer's presence. She was in the zone, and nothing else mattered in that moment.

She wasn't sure how long it was, but after a good amount of shading, erasing, blending, highlighting, Spencer stared up at her in pencil down on her page. She smiled at it in satisfaction and then looked up at the real Spencer, meeting his affectionate gaze.

"Ready?" she asked, him. Spencer nodded excitedly, not letting his eyes leave her. Evie carefully tore out the paper from her sketch pad and gave it one last look before handing it to Spencer. As soon as he laid eyes on it, he beamed from ear to ear. He studied it for a while before looking up at her.

"Do I really look that sexy?" he joked, making her laugh.

"You're starting to sound like Morgan."

She said, shifting out of her sitting position to sit on her knees since her legs were starting to go numb. She didn't realize at first that this put her in a position where her face was now not even a foot away from Spencer's. He seemed to realize it before her and nervously bit his lip. Evie could hear his soft breaths and see every single bit of detail in his features from this close. She heard her heart beating in her chest as if it was about to jump out. Without even realizing what she was doing, Evie began to lean in. She got closer and closer, and inch by inch the gap between them started to close. Spencer just barely leaned in as well, their eyes fluttering closed as they were now only two inches away.

"Um..." she heard Spencer say quietly. "I- I've got to go."

She pulled back quickly and opened her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. I- um... sorry I took so, um... long. You can keep that." she stuttered as she nodded towards the paper in his hand. Spencer smiled awkwardly at her and nodded. He groaned as he stood up, his legs probably going numb as well.

"Thanks for the drawing. I- I love it."

Evie just nodded, not even able to speak anymore. She'd been so close, and he backed out. She felt an ache settle in her chest. What if she was wrong? What if he didn't like her?

"I'll see you at work." Spencer quietly said. And with that, he walked out. 


	5. To Handle Adversity

**"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit."**

**-William J. Clinton**

Spencer walked into the bullpen with his dress shirt and loose tie. He was half dreading going back to work and half waiting desperately to get back to the office. This was for one reason and one reason only; Evie. That night at her house when she had drawn him in her apartment, they had almost done it... they had almost kissed. Then Spencer freaked out at the last second and screwed it up. That night never left his mind. He should've kissed her. He should've leaned in and never went back, but he didn't. What if he didn't get a second chance?

"Hey there, Pretty Boy. So how was Evie's place? Did the Doctor get some love?" he prodded, nudging Reid as he threw his satchel down next to his desk.

"No." Reid plainly said with a bitter tone. The smile faded from Morgan's face. Reid knew he shouldn't be taking out anything on Morgan, but he really wasn't in the mood. He need coffee. Spencer started making his way up the stairs and towards the kitchenette, Derek following.

"Hey! Reid!" he called after him. Reid just kept walking until he got to the coffee machine. Luckily someone had already made it so he grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself the drink that he definitely needed right now. Even the smell of it made Reid feel a bit better. He noticed Morgan's presence standing right beside him, staring with worry, but he didn't acknowledge him. He kept his eyes down on his mug as he poured the coffee, and then put the pot back.

Reid was about to turn and walk away, when Morgan grabbed his shoulder. Reid shot a glare at Morgan that instantly softened when he saw the look in his friends eye. It was blaming, it wasn't demanding, it was worried. Derek's only intentions were to help Spencer, and he should've known this from the start.

"I- I screwed up with her." Reid said, trying to choke out the right words. He looked down at the ground and waiting for Morgan to say something.

"How? Everything seemed to be going so great!"

"It was! Then we were back at her place and..." Reid trailed off. He was so angry with himself. He was so close! Why'd he chicken out?

"Did you... did you try to, uh..."

"No, no! Morgan you know I wouldn't do that. I haven't even hugged the girl yet!" Reid said, his voice getting high like it did when he got worked up about something. Morgan patted the air to tell Reid to calm it down, so he tried the best he could. Spence took a deep breath. "No, we were at her place sitting on her living room floor and there was a moment and she started leaning in, and I started leaning in, and we were literally 1.8 inches apart!" Spencer said even faster than usual and frustrated. Morgan raised an eyebrow when he had said 1.8, but other than that, ignored it.

"So... did you kiss her?"

"No!" Spencer exclaimed, barely letting Morgan finish his sentence. He put his mug on the corner and paced the room, running his hands through his hair. "I freaked out at last second and said I needed to go." Spencer croaked, frantically moving about the room in circles.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, kid. Stay still." Morgan said, holding his arm out to stop Reid from pacing further. Spencer looked up at Morgan with a helpless gaze that was pleading for help. "Listen, Reid. You'll get another chance. You freaked out once, but you know that you messed up which proves that you really do want to be with her. Everyone makes mistakes, even the famous Doctor Reid." Morgan said, tilting his head as he talked to him. Spencer gave him a small smile, but it was forced. If anyone, Morgan knew a lot about girls. Still though, he didn't see the dissappointment painted across Evie's face.

"What do I do to make things... not awkward?" Reid asked, choosing the right fitting word. Morgan thought about it, zoning out on a spot on the counter. Reid stood impatiently watching him and shaking his leg with nerves and anticipation.

"Just be yourself, Kid. At the same time don't let her know that you just want to forget about it. Act like you regret it and keep on with that little flirty thing you do and she'll give you a second chance."

"You're sure about that?"

"Come on, Man. It's Evie."

Reid thought of this. It was Evie, his Evie. She was different from all the rest. Maybe Spencer shouldn't be so nervous. In any case, he most definitely won't give up on her.

"Ok, ok. Thanks." Spencer said, his voice finally calming down to a normal pace, for Spencer anyway. Morgan clapped him on the shoulder and turned him to face the bullpen.

"Now's your chance." He said, and Reid realized what he meant. Evie was now sitting at her desk with her head down. She was wearing dark jeans and a dressy blouse with her hair back to normal as she stared down at her paperwork, not even glancing up. Spencer's chest tightened seeing her for the first time since that night, and suddenly he felt his nerves build back up again. He messed this up once, though. He wouldn't risk it again.

Spencer took a deep breath and made his way through the door and to the bullpen.

"Go get her, Pretty Boy." Morgan quietly cheered him on from behind. Reid walked to his desk, not letting his Eyes leave her once. When he sat down, it was apparent that she had noticed. Her pen froze where she had been frantically scribbling out forms, but she did not look up let alone move. After a second or two, she got back to her work. Spencer felt his heart drop. It was worse than he thought.

"Um... Morning, Evie." He said quietly while looking over at her. She still didn't look back.

"Morning, Spencer." She replied. Her voice wasn't unkind or angry at all, it was worse. It sounded hurt. Reid wished he could redo that moment more than anything.

"What are you working on?" He tried to act light, but at the same time he kept a timid time to his voice so she knew that he knew something was wrong. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, giving her hand a break as she set her pen down on the table.

"Paperwork." She unemotionally answered. Spencer nodded and wondered how he was supposed to carry on a conversation with her short answers. He thought about it for an awkward moment of silence before clearing his though. He noticed Evie ever so slightly glance up for les than a second, then return her eyes cast downwards.

"You- you look nice today." Spencer said. "Well I mean you look nice everyday. I was just simply pointing out that, well... I mean today isn't... I..." He stumbled, mentally rolling his eyes at himself. He had already messed up. It took him a second to realize however, that it was quite the opposite. He watched as Evie tried not to smile at his pointless stuttering. It was just a flicker of amusement that was gone in a fraction of a second, but it was there. He was making progress.

"Do you want me to make you some coffee?" Spencer asked her, leaning in closer to try to look at her face staring down at her desk. Evie didn't let any expression show as she shook her head.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Again with the short answers! Spencer guessed that was his cue to give her some space for a but before trying again. He had made some progress, didn't he?

Reid walked into the conference room towards the end of the work day. He had slowly been easing Evie back into opening up to him again and trusting him. He got a few hidden smiles here and there, but still not real success. He was beginning to worry that he never would. All of it would've gone to waste. Their days spending full work hours talking about books and interests and likes. Spencer saving her life and her holding his hand in the ambulance. The dance. He still remembered the feel of her arms around his neck and her hands on her hips. The look in her eyes told Spencer that she felt just the same way as he did... And then he screwed up.

"Spencer!" He heard JJ yell from the doorway if the conference room. It became apparent that she had been calling his name for a while, but he was too lost in thought. He finally jumped and liked over at JJ with wide eyes like a scared cat. She smirked at his reaction and walked into the room. "You okay? You seem a little distracted." She added a sarcastic tone to "little".

"Yeah, i'll be fine." He said, although he didn't know if it was true. He wanted to tell JJ but she would just fuss over him and he wanted to figure it out himself.

"It's ok, Spence. So you freaked out. She'll come around." Jennifer casually stated, shrugging her shoulders and watching him. Well it was too late for not telling her he guessed.

"Who told you! Was it Morgan?"

JJ looked at the ground uncomfortably and fidgeted with her hands joined in front of her.

"Well, you can't blame him. I prodded. I know I shouldn't have but you both seemed so upset today and Morgan made it obvious that he knew something we didn't." She explained guiltily. Spencer sighed and shrugged, brushing it off. JJ was basically his sister, she would've found out eventually.

"So... What should I do?"

"Make it up to her." JJ said without hesitation. "Take her out somewhere after work."

"I'm not sure she will want to just go on a date with me so suddenly after what happened!" He mentioned.

"Then go as friends. For now, anyway."

Spencer thought about it. He could handle taking her somewhere as friends. Even if he did wish it was more than friends. Or was it secretly not as friends? Or was it not even friends but just co-workers?

Spencer groaned and rubbed his face tiredly. "Girls are so difficult." He whined, letting his hands fall back at his side defeatedly. JJ gave him a sympathetic look and moved towards him to pull Reid into her arms. Spencer let his head rest on her shoulder as she rubbed his back to comfort him. He felt the familiarity of JJs arms and suddenly felt better. She was always good at that.

"You guys are perfect. You have nothing to worry about." JJ assured him, rubbing his arm when she released Spence from her arms. He smiled at her, his first genuine smile in what seemed like forever.

"Thanks, Jayge. I owe you."

"Yeah you do! Just remember that when I need a drink or a babysitter." She smiled. Spencer chuckled and nodded.

"Anytime."

"Good. Now what are you doing talking to me? Get out there, work is almost over for the day." She hustled him. Spencer cleared his throat and nodded. He took a deep breath and made his way down to his desk once more. Evie was engrossed in a book when he sat down at his desk across the isle, but he made sure he was completely facing her in his chair. He craned his head to see what book she was reading. Charles Dickens, not bad.

Spencer cleared his throat, expecting her to look up. She didn't. He nervously tapped his foot on the floor and awkwardly watched her. He tried clearing his throat again, but no success. He didn't know how he could be anymore obvious. She just kept reading like her life depended on it. The more he watched though, he realized she wasn't even reading anymore. She was just staring at the pages to pretend when really all her attention was diverted to Spencer who she watched out of the corner of her eye. Reid took this opportunity and got an idea.

He grabbed his bag from besides his desk and flipped it open. He thumbed through the files as papers, looking for one in particular. When he spotted it poking out from the middle, he pulled it out. The sketch she did of him still looked as amazing as he remembered it. It was like looking into a mirror, which was kind of creepy but he loved it. It reminded him of the way she studied him, her hand flying across the paper and creating every feature perfectly. Spencer smiled at it before grabbing a push pin from the canister on his desk and taking it to the small wall behind his desk that was no higher than the bottom of Reid's to cage if he stood. Spencer pushed the pins into the soft wall of his cubicle so that her picture was easily seen.

He glanced over to see that Evie had laid her book on her lap with the top of her finger still keeping her page. She was watching him straighten her sketch out in his wall, and the best part was that she was smiling. Not just the hesitant and hidden smiles that he had been getting all day, but a real one. Her smile, the smile that he loved to come to work to see everyday. Even when he looked over to her, she didn't look away. He watched her big gray eyes stare lovingly into his once again, and he knew that he had her.

"You know, you didn't sign it." Spencer pointed out. "Every great artist needs to claim their work."

Evie seemed amused by this and soundlessly placed her book on her desk to stand and take a step to Reid's desk. She took a pencil off of his desk and leaned over the surface to touch the pencil to the sketch on the wall. It was a hard position to write, but she seemed to have no trouble anyway. She set the pencil back down when she was done scribbling out her signature. Evie straightened herself and then went back to her desk to pack up to leave. Spencer spun around in his chair to see that the clock did say it was about time to leave. He closed his satchel back up and slung it over his shoulder and followed Evelyn to the elevator.

They stood by the doors silently, waiting for it to come and Spencer grabbed his chance.

"So uh... I was wondering if you wanted to go to that bookstore I was telling you about. They have a little cafe inside and everything." He said. Thank God he sounded more confident than he really felt. Evie raised her eyebrows at him and he started to get antsy. "Just- just two co-workers... You know, talking and... Stuff." He said anything but smoothly. Evelyn though about it, then nodded.

"Okay, what time?"

Spencer felt his chest tighten with excitement. "Ummm, I can pick you up at 7?" He asked, rocking back and forth on his heels anxiously. She noticed and smiled, making him realize what he was doing and stop. She seemed to think it was funny so he guessed it really didn't matter.

"Ok." Was all she said, but it was all she needed to say. Morgan chose then to impede on their conversation, coincidentally right after Spencer asked her out. He had obviously been eavesdropping.

"Hey, kids. Long work day, huh?" He asked innocently, making Spencer roll his eyes as the elevator dinged and opened. They all climbed on together, Morgan keeping the all-to-nice small talk going. Spencer wasn't listening though, and it seemed that neither was Evie. They both smiled to themselves on either side of Morgan, neither of them able to wait until 7 o'clock came.

**A/N: ok i feel bad, I had this chapter done for so long and i just forgot to upload it! It was sitting on wattpad and yeah, i feel stupid so sorry!**


	6. Ever Wasted

**A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted.**

**- Billie Holiday**

_Nope, nope, nope, nope... Ew, nope..._ Evie thought to herself, throwing her clothes around the floor of her room carelessly as she frantically looked for the right thing to wear. She was going out with Spencer... alone. He had said it wasn't a date and she had agreed, but that's exactly what it felt like it was. Did he feel the same way?

She closed the second drawer she ripped through, still coming up empty handed. She had to be casual, but not too casual. She had to be toned down, but still seem like she cared. It was a cafe and bookstore... she always had work clothes and then lounging around at home clothes. There wasn't a lot of in between. She'd have to go out shopping with JJ sometime. She couldn't even remember the last time she had went on a shopping binge.

Finally, while desperately scrambling around her room, Evie found a tight fitting gray sweater in her closet. She pulled it over her head, groaning as it messed up her hair. She already had black jeans on so she added a red infinity scarf for a little color. The make-up she put on wasn't too drastic. She used her liquid liner and her "nude" color eyeshadow and then considered lip gloss. What if Spencer wanted to kiss her? Well he hadn't the other night, why would he this time? He did seem sorry... maybe he was only nervous. Ok, so no lip gloss just in case.

The door bell sung as soon as Evie had brushed through her hair. She swore under her breath and nearly dove into the shoe boxes in her closet, looking for the right ones. She puller out her knee high brown boots and hopped and stumbled around her room while trying to keep her balance and pulling them on. The last thing she grabbed was her black button down jacket before she opened the door.

She was absolutely gorgeous. She always was, but Spencer could tell that she had especially tried to look nice for the occasion. He had previously observed that she only wears her liquid liner for special events as well as accessories such as her scarf. He adored that she had considered this a special occasion. She wasn't the only one. He had spent much too much time looking for the right thing to wear until he gave up and called JJ. She was excited about their "just co-workers outing", and gladly helped.

"Hey, I forgot my money in my bag. I'll be-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Who said anything about you paying for anything?" Spencer asked, frowning at her. "There's no way I'm letting you pay for anything when you're with me."

Evie smiled at him with adoration, making his heart flutter with excitement.

"Such a gentleman, Dr. Reid." she said in a pretend sophisticated voice. He chuckled and waited until she shut her door and locked it behind her. He held out his arm and played along.

"Then after you, Ms. Lawrence." he said as she shot him an amused glance. Evie linked her arm with his and together they walked to the car.

As soon as they walked in the bookstore, he smiled while watching Evie's eyes go wide. She smiled like a kid seeing presents on Christmas morning. He could've sworn her eyes seemed to sparkle right then as she observed the walls completely covered with books. The ceilings were at least twenty feet tall and nearly every inch was covered with stories, biographies, journals and every book imaginable, every wall being just one giant book shelf. Half of the room had a loft above it as a second floor that you could climb the spiral staircase to. The cafe was elevated on a platform with candles flickering softly throughout the atmosphere.

Spencer let Evie have her moment until she turned to him and beamed. He felt his chest swell a bit; he loved making her happy.

"So... do you like it?" he asked her, risking putting a hand on her shoulder. She froze at his touch at first, making his heart nearly stop in anticipation. Reid felt a rush of relief fall over him when she relaxed and even lean into his hand a bit more. Spencer had said this wasn't a date, but man did it feel like it.

"I love it." she breathed in amazement, walking to the middle of the giant octogal room and turning in a 360 to see everything. Spencer hummed happily while he grinned at her with affection when she wasn't looking.

"I'm glad, but you know there are 16 other bookstores in the US that are bigger and more intricate than this." Spencer informed her in his famous matter-of-fact voice. Evie glanced at him with raised eyebrows for a moment before turning to gaze at the big lit fireplace at the nearest wall.

"Well this one will always be my favorite." she said, her face glowing a soft gold-orange from the flickering firelight. Spencer smiled at her, a little confused.

"How do you know?"

"Because this is the one I went to with you."

Reid felt his heart lurch as her comment caught him completely off guard, but he thought it may have been the cutest thing anyone's ever said to him. He didn't even know how to respond.

"Aw... I- um- uh..." he tried to find the right words to answer, but just couldn't. Evie turned and chuckled as he stammered.

"Come on, genious. Let's check out the cafe."

She took his hand in hers and interlocked their fingers to pull him along begind him as she nearly trotted to the cafe area. Spencer smiled softly while watching how excited she was. Her child-like wonder was added to the list of things he loved about her. She made him remember that he was still young despite what he'd been through. She made him feel... alive.

Evelyn suddenly stopped, causing Reid to bump into her. She didn't seem to mind though. It was amazing how different Evie's personality was when she opened up and let go. Reid felt lucky to be the person to have that privelage. Not that her nervous blushing and fidgeting wasn't adorable, but she seemed so happy this way.

"So, what would you like?" Spencer asked, gesturing up to the menu with the hand not entwined in hers. Evie bit her lip and stared up at the different coffees and teas; her thinking face. Spencer couldn't help but stare at her as she contorted her fac e with though in the cutest way.

"Mmm... what do you reccomment?" she asked, turning her glimmering soft gray eyes up to him. Spencer glanced down at her and then up at the list, aware of her eyes on him exactly as he had been watching him.

"Hm... I usually don't get flavored coffee, but they have pumpkin spice around this time of the season that is pretty good." he answered, looking at her once more. they watched eachother for a few blissful seconds before Evie broke the silence with a small laugh.

"Ok, I'll get that then."

"Ok, go ahead and sit down. I'll wait in line." he said, nodding towards two chairs next to eachother by a small polished wooden table with a single white candle in the middle. this place sure made it hard to seem like they were only going out as co-workers.

"K." Evie smiled sweetly at him and gave his hand a squeeze beofre, to his regret, she let go to sit down. He didn't want to make her stand in line though, even if there were only three people ahead. His hand still tingled from when she held it, and got colder and colder each second from the lack of heat when her fingers were entwi9ned in his own.

At this point, he didn't know what they were; co-workers, friends, best friends... a couple? No, not yet. he longed for it though. He just didn't know how to make it happen.

"Sir!" the person behidn the counter startled him out of his thoughts. Spencer jumped and looked at the young girl guilditly.

"Sorry." he said, reaching out to take the two coffees in his hands. The delicious smell of his favorite beverage made Spencer relax a bit as he turned to where Evie sat waiting for him, still looking left to right to take in the entire place. He carefully made his way over and eased the cups onto the table. Evie smiled excitedly at the cup in front of her. Reid added coffee to the list of things they had in common.

"Thanks." she glanced up at him through her long eyelashes before taking a sip of her coffee. Spencer sat down in the chair next to her, their legs just barely touching under the table. He watched her face and expression to see her reaction.

Evelyn set her cup down and smiled.

"Really good coffee too. I give this place five stars. " She said, making Reid grin back. He was still caugh between deciding whether or not to take the more subtle approach, or to get straight down tot the flirting. Did he even know how to flirt? JJ had once tried to explain the concept, but if there was one thing that Spencer didn't understand, it was how to get girls. This was not just any girl though,. This was Evie.

He was about to start easy and ask how she was liking the BAU, when Evie beat him to it.

"Spencer? Can I ask you something?" she asked. The sudden serious tone in her voice caught Spencer way off guard. He frowned worriedly at him and tilted his head. Her expression told him that now wasn't the time to point out that she had already asked him something technically, so he held back.

"Yeah, anything." he assured her. She insecurely looked down at her hands that were fiddling with her cup on the table before murmering quietly. It was so quiet that Spencer had to lean in to hear.

"Do you think I have what it takes to learn to be a profilier?"

Spencer felt his chest ache at how unsure she was of herself. She was beautiful, strong, smart, unique... why didn't she see that? Reid felt the need to make her realize everything she was. He took both of her nervoulsy fidgeting hands in his own, making her look up at him in surprise. She didn't pull her hands away though. If anything, she held on tighter.

"Evelyn, you are the most capable person I know. I can see it in you. Never doubt yourself. You're smart, creative... pretty." he added at the end, shyly. She smiled and blushed and seemed to think about it for a while, gazing at something past Spencer. She kept her hands in his. Reid turned her right hand just barely to run the pad of his thumb along the smooth surface of her dark maroon painted nails, making her sigh and give his hand a light squeeze. Spencer sadly smiled at her and waited for her to say something. He wasn't expecting what she said next, however.

"Profile me." she said, looking straight into his eyes. Spencer's eyebrows were drawn together at her request. She wanted him to profile her? Why? He didn't want to invade in her privacy. She was asking though, wasn't she? Reid wasn't sure she quite knew what that entailed.

"Evie..." he whispered, frowning at her determined gaze. "I- I don't think-"

"Please?" she stopped hij. The way she looked at him... he couldn't say no to that face. He imagined if they were ever to be together, he was in for a whole lot of being cuted into things. He'd be ok with that. He sighed and nodded, letting his eyes travel all over her features and remembering all of the small details he let go of when he had tried not to profile her in the past.

"Well, to start you are overly anxious and nervous about small things. It keeps you up at night more often than not. It didn't used to be that way, but due to a great loss that I'm guessing was your mother, you've never been the same. The same goes with your seclusion. You don't let people know that you spend your time alone but you don't try to change that, even though you could if you wanted to. You are constantly second guessing yourself. You don't see how special you are and constantly question and degrade yourself for it. " Spencer let everything he had noticed before out as if he was profiling any other person. No other person's profile had hurt him so much to say though. He didn't have any intentions of slowing htough. Once he let hismelf profile her, the things he found out interested and surprised him almost as much as they made his chest ache.

"Your low self esteem also goes hand in hand with your trust issues. You don't let people in very often if at all, most likely because of a past betrayal." Spencer continued on. the look Evie was giving him told him that that was probably enough. it was a face that was a cross between a deeper sadness that she had been holding in from past memories and utter amazement from Spencer's observing. She thickly swallowe d and looked down at the ground. Reid instantly felt guilty, regretting that he agreeed to do that.

"Wow..." she finally murmered quietly. "You're good."

She still didn't look up at him, so he decided to ask a question that has been in the back of his mind for a while. It was a question that begged the answer for why Evie was so closed off and untrusting and unsure.

"What was his name?" he asked, making her finally look up at him in surprise. She frowned in confusion and tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Um..." she started to say, but Reid cut in.

"The bastard that left you. What was his name?'

Evie's confusion fell from her face with the slightest flicker of amusement from hearing Reid swear probably for the first time. Mostly though, it was replaced with an uncomfortable and ashamed gaze at heir hands that were still joined on the table.

"Calvin." she said in almost a whisper. Spencer had known for a while. He had known that the only reason for a beautiful and talented girl to be so skeptical of herself was for someone swho she had trusted and loved to rip out her heart and betray and leave her.

"Evie..." he said in a whisper. She looked into his eyes like she never wanted to let go of him and hide behind him forever. He wanted so badly to let her realize that she didn't have to hide; to show her that she was nothing less than perfect.

"This Calvin guy." he siad with a bitter emphasis on 'Calvin'. "He's the biggest idiot I've ever heard of. He had perfection right in front of him, and he let it go. It was his losss and you deserve someone who realizes that your the definition of amazing." Spencer told her, making Evie bite her lip through a soft smile. She stared at Reid with eyes that said much more than 'co-workers'.

"And who would that be?" she asked. Spencer realized his cue. He realized he was being set up to say that it was him and that he realized who Evie really was and that he loved her. He would've said it, but with one huge wave the nerves came back.

"I don't know, whoever you want it to be. Whoever it is will be the luckiest person alive, though."

Evie gave him a look of fondness that made the butterlies take flight within him. She sighed, the grin dissappearing as well as her hands from his. She sat back into her chair and took a deep breath before she started to speak.

"Well, you were right. When I was 16, I lost my mom. It was a break in. We were just getting home frommy dance class when she noticed that a light was on that we didn't leave on when we had left and my dad was working at the time. She told me to get in the car and hide with the doors locked. And so I began to walk back out of the house when I heard a gunshot. I ran back into the living room to find her- her..." she tried to choke out, but she didn't finish. Spencer looked at her sadly.

"It's ok." he assured her, making her nod.

"Anyway... my dad never was the same. He still isn't. I do go visit him back in Pennsylvania every holiday." she looked up at the ceiling like she was thinking and then continued.. At this point, Spencer didn't even know what to say, so he just sat back and listened, not even able to divert his attention to take a sip of coffee.

"I met Calvin in college. I was stupid and naive. He told me that he loved me, make me feel special and promised to never leave me. I was just... just so happy that for the first time since my mom died, somone loved me and cared about me. So I gave him everything I had; my love, my trust, my secrets, my life. Later when we were engaged, he left me. He said he found somoen better and couldn't love me anymore." By the time she got to her last sentence, SPencer could just barely hear what she was saying. What should he say? He wasn't used to comforting people unless they had just nearly been murdered by a serial killer. That he was good at which made it sad that he wasn't good at comforting on normal problems. Before he did have time to say anything however, Evie sighed and forced a smile.

"But hey, I'm not the only one with baggage. Am I?" she said, suggestively looking at Spencer. He frowned at her. Was she referring to him? How could she possibly know about the struggles he's had in the past? Was she profiling him?

"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself. She laughed at his surprised reaction and nodded.

"Yes you."

Spencer took a deep breath. Where was he supposed to start? Now that he thought back through his life he realized that he really did have struggle after struggle. He was lucky for his friends that more than evened it out, giving him good things in his life to live for.

"Well I guess I'll start with my mother. She has schitzophrenia and when I turned 18, I had her put in an institution. She- she begged me not to let them take her." he said. He had never told that to anyone. His team knew that he was bothered that he had done that even if it was over ten years ago. They didn't know how she had cried and begged though... he never let anyone know.

"I was a 12 year old prodigy in a Las Vegas High School... You can probably guess how that went." he said, uncomfortably looking down at his coffee before taking a sip. He saw Evie's gaze at him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't let her know that he saw. He kept his eyes forward until he turned to frown at her.

"You're probably not interested in all of this stuff. I mean, it's-"

"Spence." she interupted in a soft voice. She put his hand over his again, the one that was resting on the arm rest of his cushioned chair. "If you don't want to tell me, it's ok."

"What, no! No, no of couse I can. I just don't want to bore you, that's all. When I was... 26 i think, I was kidnapped on a case. I think I was in a shed for two days." he continued, trying to keep his voice casual. Sometimes it didn't work too well. Somehow, saying all the past struggles out loud made it just a bit worse. He remembered who he was talking to then, and immediately felt better. Evie's eyes were wide and her hand was over her mouth.

"Oh... Did- did they hurt you?" she asked in a whisper. Spencer turned his hand upwards to interlock their fingers. He found it cute that he was giving all of his past hurt and she was the one who needed comforting moreso than him.

"Yeah... But hey, I'm obviously fine. Don't give me that face." he joked, nudging her so that she took her hand away from her mouth. She still frowned at him with worry. He let his grin fade as well. He knew what he had to tell her next, but he was dreading it.

"I- uh... Well the unsub, Tobias Hankel... It's kind of complicated. He thought he was three different people but anyway, the Tobias side tried to help me. He... he..."

Evie looked up at Spencer, her eyebrows knitted together. He sighed and turned puppy dog eyes on her. He couldn't keep it from her forever, but he was so upset with himself for ever going through that time in his life.

"His way of helping was injecting me with Dilaudid." he managed to say forcefully, just trying to get it out before he couldn't. "It's a drug." he explained, although he could tell Evie already knew by her face. She wasn't dissappointed or dissapproving, she was sympathetic... for now.

"And um... well, afterwards I guess my body got addicted. But I've been clean for several years now!" he added hurriedly at the end. Evie gave him a small smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Spencer... do you really blame yourself for that?"

"Yes."

"You didn't ask Tobias for the Dilaudid, did you?"

"Well... no, I begged him not to but still."

Evie rubbed his forearm comfortingly and Spencer couldn't help but slightly grin again. He was worried for nothing. He should've know she would've understood. They spent the next twenty minutes digging deep into each other's pasts, going into details that they had never told anyone before. It felt good to have someone to talk to that Spencer trusted. So far they were getting close pretty fast... he hoped it'd be enough to be together someday.

"Geez... the things you survived." Evie shook her head in disbelief and then took a sip of coffee. Spencer was about change the subject to something lighter, when his phone rang. He cringed and made an apologetic look while he took his phone out of his back pocket and checked the caller ID... Garcia.

"It's Penelope. Hold on, sorry." he apologized. Evie just shook her head telling him it was perfectly fine.

"How's my boy wonder?" Garcia's perky voice came through the phone's speaker. Reid loved her, but he really just wanted to get back to Evie right then.

"Good, what's up?" he asked hurriedly. He kept his eyes on Evie who was holding her coffee in her hands and zoning out into the flames of the fireplace across the room. He smiled to himself, wondering what she was thinking about.

"We've got a case."

Spencer held back from groaning. A case? Now? His luck seemed to be running out. Couldn't the psychopath killers give him a break just for this night at least? He was planning on this night to be the night. He wanted to make up for the night that he didn't kiss her. He felt like it was finally right and he could do it, but now this...

"Ok, ok. We'll be there in a few." he said, forgetting that Garcia didn't know he was with Evie.

"We? Who's we?"

"Oh, I'm with Evie."

"SPENCER! ARE YOU TWO ON A DATE?" her voice shrieked over the phone. He felt himself get red... Penelope had definitely said it loud enough for the sound of the phone to carry over to Evie. She pretended like she didn't hear and kept her attention diverted, but the slightest of smiles of amusement reached her lips. Spencer sighed and shook his head.

"We'll be there soon." he said, hanging up before Garcia could say anything else. Evie turned to him, her eyes asking him what the news was. He looked at her guilty, knowing that she probably didn't feel like a case at the moment either.

"We've got a case."

Dissappointment fell over her face, but she instantly stood and nodded to the door.

"Then let's get going."


	7. Not Always Easy

**Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.**

**-Marianne Williamson**

The team sat around in the jet, going over the case. Spencer and Evie naturally sat right down next to eachother with the rest of the team giving them suggestive looks. Spencer ignored them for the most part, and tried to pretend to be engrossed in the case instead of distracted by Evelyn sitting next to him, her knee barely grazing his. It was a little rediculous that they were taking a plane, the case was right in Virginia. It was late though, and they all had elected to cut down on as much time as possible.

"So this unsub is obsessed with the greek culture?" Evie asked, looking to JJ who sat across from them. Jennifer nodded while looking down at her tablet, swiping to go through the pictures.

"All of the victims were killed using either greek methods or instruments of death. They were dressed up to depict ancient greek gods or goddesses." She explained, holding the tablet up for Evie and Spencer to see the gruesome pictures. The victim was a woman dressed in a bright white chiton and a wreath of vines around her head. Her hair was dark and curly... definitely greek. She held a bow and arrow in her hand. Well, it was actually stitched to her hand. The point was, that the victim closely represented a certain goddess.

"Artemis. She was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities, mostly known for the goddess of the hunt, hence the bow and arrow which is her signature weapon." Spencer recited from his mind.

"Killing depictions of the gods and goddesses could be a way of feeling a sense of power." Rossi spoke up.

"Someone with this accurate of greek methods would have to have extensive knowledge." Morgan added. Spencer frowned down at the papers in his lap, giving the information about the crime scenes.

"Possibly an expert on greek mythology..." he muttered, flipping through the pages.

"I have Garcia looking into anything having to do with expert greek professions in the Arlington." Hotch said. It was a good thing they didn't have to travel far. Spencer hoped to be home soon enough to be able to get a second chance for a sort of date sort of not a date with Evie. "And I think we'll try to get Lawrence some field experience so she knows what she's in for if she wants to go for her gun qualifications." Hotch added, nodding towards Evie. Spencer felt his heart skip a beat. He wanted her in the field? Had Hotch lost his mind? She had barely been on the team for long. There was no way!

"Um... Hotch... You serious?" Spencer asked, frowning at Hotch who mirrored his expression back.

"You have something to say, Reid?" He raised his eyebrows at Spencer which would usually be enough for him to shut right up, but this was different.

"Well... Yeah! She can't possibly be ready!" He spluttered out, his voice getting high as it did when he became upset. All eyes were turned

To him in surprise now, but he ignored them. Even Evie had turned

To him with a look of shock and confusion, but he held his ground.

"Spencer..." She started, but he didn't let her get far.

"No, Evie. Do you really think you are up for something like that? You haven't even been trained for field work yet!" Spencer argued, turning to look at her. Evelyn's face looked slightly appalled and slightly hurt at his words. At the moment, he didn't feel so guilty though. He was just doing her a favor, wasn't he?

"Yes!" she said, her voice slightly raised above normal. "Reid, even if I wasn't ready it's not your place to say so!" He had never seen her angry, but he could already tell he didn't like it. It wasn't like she was extremely aggressive, she was a mixture of hurt as well which was starting to make Reid crumble.

"I- Evie..." He stuttered, trying to find the right words to speak. The team had awkwardly tried to make it look like they had adverted their attention from them now, even Hotch. Spencer hasn't meant to offend her. He just couldn't bare the thought of her around those monsters with or without the proper training. Maybe he had gone a bit too far on the protective end...

"I'm going and it's final." She said in a near whisper, but with a cold tone in

her voice. "I can handle myself even if you don't believe so." And with that, she stood and walked to find another seat on the other side of the plane away from Spencer. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had screwed up and let his protectiveness get the best of him. He had to find a way to apologize.

Spencer fought with himself to try to find the right things to say. When he didn't have any luck, he decided to just man up and wing it. He hesitantly stood, earning a surprised look from Morgan. He gave Spencer an encouraging smile, probably realizing what he was doing. He leaned forward in his seat and pushed Reid forward, making him stumble into the aisle way. He advanced forward to Evie who sat in the back of the plane, arms crossed and eyes out the window at the darkening skies. She was even beautiful when she was pissed.

Reid cleared his throat when he reached the seat next to Evelyn. The reflection of her eyes in the window flickered in surprise for less than a second, but she didn't turn to look at him. She acted as if she hadn't heard Spencer at all.

"Um... Evie?" Spencer spoke, sliding into the seat next to her. She stayed impressively still, not even flinching a bit.

"What?" She kept her tone neutral, but it was laced with anger. Reid took a deep breath and tried to explain himself.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to degrade you or anything... I just- I..." What was he even trying to say? He didn't quite know where he was going. Once again, Spence was caught up in his mindless rambling.

"It's fine, Reid." Evie answered, her expression remaining emotionless in the window. Spencer mentally cringed. She never called him Reid. It was always less formal; Either Spencer and sometimes Spence, probably adapted from hanging out with JJ all day.

"But... I just-"

"Please, just drop it." she asked, finally turning to stare into his eyes. He didn't know the same gorgeous, soft gray eyes could end up looking so angry and cold. He hated himself for screwing up with her. He promised that if anything, he'd do everything right with Evie. Spencer decided it wise to give her the space she wanted though. He nodded and got up to go sit in an empty seat away from people. He didn't feel like dealing with anyone else for the rest of the plane ride.

The first hour on the case was awkward and cold between Spencer and Evie. She acted like he was just another professional coworker, which might have been even worse. Hotch had assigned her to go talk to the family of the latest victim with Jayge, Rossi and Morgan were at the crime scene, and Reid and Hotch were at the last place that someone thought they spotted the unsub. He had called Evie a total of three times, thinking of every work excuse possible to talk to her. He had hoped she'd soften up at least one of those times, but her answers were all short, cold, and calculating. Maybe a fourth time wouldn't hurt...

"For God's sake, Reid." she answered. Spencer felt a pang of hurt go through his chest. How much was it going to take for her to forgive him already?

"Evie, really? It wasn't a big deal! Can you please let it go? I said I was sorry." Spencer said in a raised voice that was higher than usual. He tried to calm himself down. He just didn't understand what was such a big deal.

"What did I say? Just drop it."

"No, I will not just drop it!"

"Well then, Spencer... That's your problem."

Spencer felt his heart tighten in his chest. Well it wasn't really his heart, his physical nerves were just interfering with his emotional nerves, causing a constricting experience, but he didn't quite care at the moment. He was silent, not knowing what to say. The profiler and reasonable side of him told Spencer that there was some deeper reason as to why Evie was so angry about something so small. The emotional side of him just told him that she hated him.

"Fine." he finally said, his voice as angry as hers.

"Fine." she agreed in an equally pissed tone. Spencer forcefully hung up the phone and stuffed it in his pocket as Hotch approached. He was standing in the candy aisle of a convenience store. For the most part, they came up empty in terms of any important connection to the store.

"The store manager said that he had come in with blood all over his hands. He didn't even try to hide it, but as soon as the manager asked him about it, he got away." Hotch updated him, scanning the store with his eyes.

"He's probably proud. Back in Ancient Greek times, men would be proud of their aggressiveness and strength. It was probably his way of gloating." Spencer half-mindedly said, also scanning the store. As he did, he was aware of Hotch's eyes on him. He really didn't feel like turning to look, knowing he was going to get some kind of lecture from him.

"Hey Reid?" he said anyway. Spencer turned to him, a little afraid of what he was going to say. Hotch looked at him with his usual intense stare, but there was a little bit of concern somewhere deep in his eyes. "She'll come around." , was all Hotch said before clapping his hand on Spencer's shoulder, then turning to start out the store. Spencer frowned, a little surprised by Hotch's assurance. It did make him feel better coming from Aaron though. He smiled a bit, then hurried after him.

They were two hours into the case, and JJ and Evie were back at the Police Department. It was getting to be around 11pm now, and the sky outside was an inky black. They were talking with the chief of police, trying to find some connection that they were missing. They had already given the profile, but there just wasn't enough to find a good lead to where the unsub would target next.

"Well, we already know that the unsub is now in a frantic state of mind. He knows we are on to him, and Rossi suggested that he might go for the big kill soon. So... how are we supposed to know what the big kill is?" Evie asked JJ, frowning down at her pen that she fiddled with. She had to admit, her mind was completely on the case as much as she'd like it to be. She wondered how things had gone so south with him. Should he have said those things and downsized her like that? No. Should she have reacted so dramatically? Probably not. She just couldn't stand anymore controlling relationships. The moment he had started Trying to prevent her from trying out work in the field, she had taken it to the extreme. Maybe they'd fix it later. Right now she was just too angry with both herself and him.

"Well Zeus would be the head god. Who would represent Zeus though?" JJ questioned. Evie thought about that. She had read a fair amount of interesting Historical Fiction books about the Ancient Greeks. The mythology had always interested her.

"Wait… what about Alexandria?" she spoke up, the gears turning in her mind.

"The city here in Virginia?" JJ asked.

"Yeah… One of the biggest Greek conquerors was Alexander the Great. He took over massive areas of land and expanded Greece. He name one of their more important cities today, Alexandria. We have an Alexandria almost right next door to Arlington." Evie told her, proud at how JJ's eyes widened. She nodded and pulled out her phone and dialed a speed dial number and held out the phone to Evie who looked at her in confusion.

"Talk to Garcia. See if there's any connection between Arlington and something to do with Zeus." JJ said. Evie took her iPhone and listened to the ringing until there was a click on the other end of the line.

"Finally! Someone needs my greatness. Your wish is my command." Garcia's voice came over the speaker. Evie chuckled, then focused on what she called for.

"Hey, it's Evie. I need you to do some digging for me."

"Anything for you, sweet cheeks. What do you need?"

Evie explained logic behind the Zeus and Alexandria connections, and listened to her frantic typing on the other end of the line. It only took about a couple seconds for Garcia to type her way to answers.

"There are multiple companies advertising with commercial Greek themes. The city is Alexandria, there are going to be a lot of cheesy Greek references. I need a little more."

"Um…" Evie thought, tapping her fingers on the desk as she tried to think as quickly as possible. "Are there any advertisements, advertising a Zeus figure?"

"Uh… bingo. A mattress company called Olympus has a commercial circulating. The manager is all dressed up like Zeus and everything. This commercial has all kinds of cheesy going on." Garcia rushed out.

"What's the address?"

"Sent it to all of your phones now."

"Thanks, Garcia."

"Anything for my furry friends."

Evie hung up and ran over to JJ who was explaining their findings to a group of officers. She approached Jennifer and handed her her phone, breathing hard.

"Garcia got a lead. The address was sent to our phones."

JJ nodded and held down another speed dial number while walking out into the parking lot, Evie on her heels.

"Hey, Spence. You guys are closer to Alexandria. We think the unsub is going to the address that was sent to your phones. We'll meet you guys there. Call Rossi and Morgan."

Evie heard talking on the other end as they jumped into their black SUV. JJ hung up and flipped the lights and sirens on. Withing seconds they were rushing out of the parking lot, a small squad of police cars racing behind them.

"When we get there, put on your vest and stay close to me since you aren't allowed to have a gun yet, technically. If you really need one, i'll keep one on my hip so you can grab it. Good?" JJ asked, glancing over at Evie. She swallowed nervously and nodded, expecting JJ to see her out of the corner of her eye. Now that they were speeding their way into the actual danger, she was wishing that maybe she had listenied to Spencer.

"Spence said that it'll take us about 9 minutes to get there." she said, taking a sharp turn and forcing Evie into the car door. "Sorry." she murmered, eyes still on the road.

Sure enough, in about nine minutes or so they were in the nearly empty parking lot of the store complex. It was dimly lit by the dull street lights, and a few of the stores lights were still on, probably for people staying late to wrap up business. The mattress store itself was a big and obnoxiously flashy building at the edge of the complex with big letters spelling out OLYMPUS over glass doors. An SUV was already pulled up to the front of the store, probably Hotch and Spencer.

"Alright." JJ said as she pulled the car up next to the other. Spencer and Hotch already had their vests on and guns out pointed towards the store doors. It was then when Evie realized that they had maybe gotten there just in the niche of time. There was a man with dark hair in the middle of the store with a gun held at the head of what Evie guessed was the manager. Out of all of stores, the manager of the mattress one had to be there. She cursed at their luck.

After fastening the FBI vests on, JJ and Evie stepped up next to where Hotch now had a megaphone pointed at the store.

"Alexander Spiros! I'm Aaron Hotchner with the FBI." he started. Evie wondered how he possibly could've known his name. "You're not the only ones who had a breakthrough." Aaron muttered to JJ before turning back to the megaphone. "I'm going to come in with a few of my agents. We're here to help you, Alexander." he said. The man kept his infuriated expression, but didn't show any protests. Hotch put down the megaphone just as the last SUV with Rossi and Morgan showed up.

"Alright. Reid and I will go in, JJ you hold down the fort out here with Lawrence. Have Morgan and Rossi surround the place." Hotch ordered. Evie watched Spencer's eyes flicker with a bit of worry mixed with anger when he mentioned Evie helping JJ guard the store. She sighed and decided to just let him be angry. She had made the decision to work for the FBI, and she was going to work in the field if she wanted to.

Evie and JJ watched Spencer and Hotch ease themselves into the store with guns raised. The door closed behind them, and after that nothing else was heard but the low murmer of Hotch's voice. Evie scanned the room and the situation, taking in as much as she could. She felt like she needed to help, but remembered that these people knew what they were doing. She still hated the helpless feeling though.

"Hey, What's-" Morgan started, approaching them with Rossi at his side.

"Hotch needs you to surround the place." JJ interupted. Morgan nodded and looked around with his peircing black eyes and gestured over to the right and together, him and Rossi covered more ground.

"What are they doing?" JJ said out loud, obviously not expecting Evie to answer. There were officers all around them with guns pointed at the unsub. Their shots would be useless and could potentially hurt one of the agents of the manager, however. It was truly up to Hotch and Spencer at that moment. Despite their fight, Evie was worried for Reid. Maybe this was how he felt when hearing about her going into the field. Suddenly she wished she hadn't snapped. Now she just wanted him to get out alive and well so that they could be best friends again. Maybe even more. Hopefully more.

"Alright, Spencer is moving in..." JJ muttered. Evie saw what she meant. Spencer had lowered his gun and was easing forward slowly. Alexander had also lowered his gun a bit, the aggression fallen from his face.

"Come on, Spence…" Evie whispered. Just as Spencer was reaching for the gun, everything broke loose. Alexander shot a hand forward and grabbed Spencer's wrist and twisted it so that he spun around. The unsub kept hold of Spencer's arm behind his back in an unnatural position. Evie could see by the way Reid cringed in pain.

"Shit…" she muttered. Her chest tightened in worry as he moved Spencer in shooting range of all of the officers outside the store, and Hotch. He yelled something that just sounded like a muffled yell from outside and Hotch hesitantly put the gun down on the floor. Evie guessed that he threatened to shoot Spencer if he didn't.

Alexander then started slowly moving towards the door, Spencer flinching in his grasp. The unsub kept a gun to his temple the entire time, making it hard for Evie to breathe. What if this was it? What if the last thing she did with Spencer was fight? This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't! Her mind raced with thoughts and worries that she couldn't stifle as the unsub kicked the door open and shoved Spencer onto the sidewalk, not but ten feet in front of where the row of officers stood.

"Shoot and he dies!" the man yelled, pushing the gun barrel into Spencer's forehead with renewed vigor. Spencer squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip against the pain, making Evie hurt. He opened his soft brown eyes to look at her, and even in the dim lighting, she saw his pleading gaze that sent chills down her back.

'I'm sorry' he mouthed to her, making her want to burst into tears right there. She knew she had to be strong for him though. He was going to get out of this, he had to.

"Alexander, it doesn't have to be like this. Let us help you." JJ spoke up loudly and clearly, making Alexander chuckle.

"I am the one helping you! The immortals must fall! They've been in reign for far too long! The new era is here!" he screamed, tightening his grip on Spencer with every word. Evie bit her lip while watching him in pain. She wanted to help so bad, she didn't know what to do though.

"He is innocent, Alexander. This war is between you and the gods, not our agent." Morgan called out from the other side of the sidewalk. Alexander smirked and with one swift movement, he kicked Spencer in the back of his knees and slammed the butt of the gun into his stomach, making him double over on his knees and grunt in pain. Evie heard herself involuntarily gasp, watching the man yank Spencer's head up by his hair.

"There must be sacrifice for a better tomorrow." The unsub murmured. Evie realized what was happening before anyone else did. Alexander took his gun and forced it to Spencer's temple once again, his finger on the trigger.

"No!" Evie shrieked. She didn't even know what she was doing at first. It was like she was in a trance, watching herself without being in her body. Evie grabbed the extra gun out of JJ's belt and jumped forward with it raised at the unsub. She moved closer to where he stood, looking up in surprise at her. He yanked Spencer's hair again, obviously enjoying the whimper of pain he got in response. Spencer gave her a look that said 'What on earth do you think you're doing', but Evie looked away.

"Evie!" JJ called from behind her. Evelyn knew that it was probably a rash decision to do this, but she couldn't just stand there and watch Spencer get shot dead.

"Alexander, don't you see what you are becoming?" Evie asked. She had read about this kind of thing in past cases the BAU did... the act of talking the subject out of killing. She didn't know how to or if she could, but she went with her instinct and continued. He looked at her with confusion and slackened his grip on the gun a bit. He didn't respond, so she continued.

"Alexander, this is exactly what they want. They kill mortals without care. Do you really want to be one of them?" Her eyes flickered over to Spencer who looked at her in terror. She knew he'd give anything for her to just step back into safety, but there was no way that she was backing out now.

"They- They must fall..." he murmured, forcing the gun harder into Spencer. He kicked him hard in the stomach, making Reid cough and gasp, the wind probably being knocked out of him. Evie flinched and took a deep breath.

"Not like this." she said. "Don't be them. You aren't like the Olympians, are you Alexander?" she breathed, resisting the urge to bite her lip. She needed to seem confident. Spencer's life may have depended on it. Alexander began to let that sink in. His face changed as he thought hard about this, hand slowly moving down and away from Spencer's forehead, making him let out a relieved breath. When the gun was pointing at the ground, someone grabbed the unsub's arms from behind and pulled them behind his back. Evie looked over his shoulder to see that Hotch had come up from behind while Evie was trying to convince the man not to shoot Reid. Aaron handcuffed Alexander, and took his gun.

"Reid!" Morgan yelled before Evie could even take a deep breath. Him and JJ rushed forward to help Spencer to his feet, and he was immediately swarmed by people making sure he was ok. Evie felt like she couldn't move from the shock of what just happened. A million thoughts raced through her head at once as she ripped her vest off as it began to suddenly feel too tight.

Spencer almost died.

She could've died.

Did she just save his life?

What just happened?

She looked up to see the people crowding Spencer thin so that she caught his eye. He gave her the cutest puppy dog face she's ever seen, making her face soften. As soon as she felt her features become just a little more relaxed, she realized that she must've looked absolutely horrified. She told herself just to relax and focus on the fact that Spencer was ok. He was alive...

Evie found herself dropping her vest and breaking into a run and throwing herself into Reid's arms. He grunted as her body collided with his. She imagined he was a bit bruised from being hit a couple of times, but she guessed he could deal with it.

Reid chuckled and wrapped his arms around her back and burried his face in her shoulder. His hair was as soft as she imagined. It just barely brushed against the side of her face when she laid her head on his shoulder and pulled him to her tightly. She was immediately filled with warmth from being in his arms. Something about it just felt so right. Their bodies were almost one with how tightly they held eachother.

"I'm sorry about being such a jerk earlier." he mumbled into her shoulder. Evie rubbed his back and shook her head, enjoying every second of pure bless of being pressed against Spencer's firm chest.

"No, Spence. I'm sorry for overreacting."

"And I'm sorry that I don't have my phone on me to take a picture of this." Morgan snickered from besides them. Evie and Spencer snapped away from eachother in surprise, completely forgetting about pretty much everyone around them. Morgan beamed at them and suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.

"Just remember protection, Love Doctor."

"Morgan!" he said in a high voice that made Evie hold back a laugh. She loved how his voice was raised two or three octaves when he got worked up.

"Come on, kids. It's late. Back to the jet." Rossi said. Spencer looked over at Evie and gave her a small smile that seemed to warm her heart, as cheesy as it sounded. Together they walked shoulder to shoulder to the nearest SUV, both of them enjoying both being alive and on good terms once again.

"So... are you guys going to get married?" Morgan's deep voice rumbled from across the plane aisle. Evie rolled her eyes over at Derek who was making kissy faces. She smiled and shook her head, looking over at Spencer who sat in the seat next to her. Well, he was more sprawled out in the seat next to her. His head lied up against the plane window and his legs were stretched out in front of him, his adorable mismatching socks visible. One arm was draped across his chest and the other was rested on his leg. His chest gently rose and fell with his breathing... he had been asleep ever since they got on the plane. It was only a thirty minute ride back to Quantico, but no one cared to remind him that.

"Stop jumping to conclusions! You guys all hug all the time!" Evie whispered to Morgan who rolled his eyes and put his headphones on.

"Sure, Lawrence. You'll see. It'll happen."

Evie looked over at her sleeping Spencer. She smiled to herself and thought, _I hope you're right_.


	8. Superfluous

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."

-Ingrid Bergman

The picture that Evelyn drew of Spencer stared back at her from Reid's desk. She smiled and shook her head, amazed at how far they had come from just bumping into eachother in the cafe. She loved him. She knew it for sure now. Everything about her just made her feel with a warmth and excitement for life. His dorkiness, but his strength at the same time. The way he didn't care what people thought of him. His brains. His sensitivity and sweetness. Just everything Spencer Reid, she was uncontrollably in love with.

She remembered this feeling though. She remembered how she had once felt it and how it had ended...

Evie shook her head as if to rid of the bad thoughts, her brown curls brushing against her face as she did. Spencer wasn't anything like Calvin. She had to get that out of her head and just relax and let Spencer happen. It was easier said than done after what she had gone through, but she had decided to trust him.

Evie grabbed the rest of the things from her desk and slung her bag over her shoulder. She took one last look around the empty bullpen that was beginning to feel like home, and then made her way to the elevator.

The dark parking lot was illuminated two lone street lights, and there were only a few cars left. Under the nearest street lamp, the silhouette of Spencer was leaned over the open hood of an old light blue car. She could see the outline of him fiddling with the insides of the car, smoke rising from the engine. Evie didn't know a ton about cars, but she did know that it didn't look to good.

"Hey, what are you still doing here?" she called out as she approached Spencer, making him jump and look at her with wide eyes. She raised her eyebrows at him, startled by his response.

"Sorry, you scared me. Mm... my engine just is... dead..." he said, examining the parts of the car through the thick clouds of smoke. His eyebrows were pulled together in thought, his jaw set as he examined the car. Evie tried to hold herself back from thinking about how sexy he looked in that moment.

"Let me give you a ride. It'll make us even from the night you drove me home from the bar." she suggested, ignoring the car and looking into Spencer's eyes that were glimmering, even in the dim light of the night. He frowned at Evie and tilted his head.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Come on, I'll get you a ride here tomorrow too." she said as Reid nodded and slammed the hood of his car shut. He walked to the driver's side where the front door was still ajar and turned off the car, pulling out the keys. Evie bit her lip, watching every single move he made. She felt the need to be his. She felt the need to wake up every morning in his arms and to fall asleep to those sparkling brown eyes. They'd be engaged, then get married, then have kids, then grow old...

Woah, Evie... she thought to herself. You're not even dating yet. Slow down. What if he didn't want to date? She was pretty positive that he did, but...

Stop overthinking. He's Spencer. He's sweet and thoughtful, and he loves you... he does... she told herself. Watching the way he smiled at her when he turned to her made Evelyn believe everything she told herself.

"Ready?" she asked, trying not to reflect her thoughts in her voice. Reid gave her a small smile and nodded, grabbing his satchel from the backseat of his car and pulling it over his shoulder. Together,, they walked towards Evie black car at the other end of the parking lot.

"I love your car, by the way. What is it?" she asked, glancing up at Spencer.

"1965 Horizon Blue Volvo. We've been through a lot together." Spencer said, looking down at his keys.

"You know a lot about cars?"

"Pfft... not really. Just what I've read about." he chuckled, walking around to the passenger side of Evie's car and climbing in.

"Of course." Evie smiled and said under her breath. She got into the front seat and started the car, turning up the heat against the slight biting chill of the late night. She yawned and ran her hand through her hair before looking out her back window and pulling out.

"Tired?" Spencer asked, observing Evelyn intently from the seat next to her. She didn't mind though.

"Well it is one thirty nearly. Aren't you?"

"I don't sleep a lot."

"That explains the coffee."

"Yeah. That and I just love my coffee."

Evie laughed and pulled out onto the street, driving in the direction Spencer told her to. It only took less than ten minutes to get there, and Evie realized that it really was close to her apartments. The parking lot was pretty full, but luckily there was an empty space close to the entrance. She pulled her car into the slot and braked, looking over at Spencer who raised his eyebrows at her.

"You can come in for a bit if you'd like. Nothing wrong with a drink at one thirty." he said, making Evie laugh. She didn't even have to think twice about what she wanted.

"Ok. I guess for a bit." she said, trying not to sound too excited. On the inside she was bursting with fireworks, but she tried to keep her cool on the exterior. Spencer bit his lip, obviously trying to do the same. She shut off the car and stepped out, Spencer doing the same. Maybe this could be the night that changed everything...

Spencer watched her all the way up to his apartment. Was that weird? No... not when she was that beautiful. The way her perfect hair fell over her back, the way her cheeks were the lightest of reds from the cold, her eyes flickering from one thing to the next, taking in Spencer's apartment building.

He found it harder than normal to get his door open with her standing so close. His shoulder was just barely grazing hers with how close they were. Reid could hear her soft breathing pattern, making him relax. He swung the door open and held his hand out for her to walk in first. The moment he had opened the door, her eyes had gone wide just as they had in the bookstore. Any signs of fatigue that she showed from before had disappeared, leaving the wonderous and curious Evie that he loved. She moved into the room as if in a trance, observing every detail she could.

"Don't look so amazed." he laughed while throwing his keys on the counter. "It's not that great."

"That's the definition of an understatement. You have so many books! She said, examing the walls and shelves full of varied spines of novels stacked next to eachother. Spencer shrugged and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

"Stop with the modesty, Spence. It doesn't suit you."

Spencer smirked and moved to Evie's side who was examing a row of books in the bookshelf nearest to his chess table. She ran her hands across the bindings, seeming to read all of the titles. Reid admired her passion for literature. It was very rare to come across someone who shared the same devotion as he did. While standing close to her, he could smell a familiar scent of flowers as well. Her hair had smelled like that when they had embraced back in Alexandria. He longed to go back to that moment. He never wanted to let go of her in that moment.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, snapping Reid out of his thoughts. She was pulling out one of the larger books from the middle shelf with leather binding and gold letters on the front. "J. R. R. Tolkien. Lord of the Rings, full set." she said admirably, running her fingers over the gold inscripted writing. "My mother would read me these before bed."

Spencer watched her eyes become sadder before him at the mention of her mother. He felt awful, so he put a hand on the small of her back, making Evelyn look up into his eyes. He gently took the book from her hands, making her frown at him in confusion. He didn't explain what he was doing, but took her hand in his and led her to his couch. She hesitantly sat, Reid sitting besides her so they were close enough to be touching. He flipped open the book and flipped through the pages, holding it between them so they both could see.

"What's your favorite part?" he asked, looking into her eyes that were only six inches away at this point. A grin formed on her face. He couldn't help but focus on her lips. He couldn't help but imagine him kissing them either.

"Um... I like when Gollum is first introduced." she decided, looking down at the book as Spencer flipped through the pages to find the right place. He thumbed through the pages, remembered about where he knew her favorite place just about lied. Finally getting the right page, he cleared his throat and began to read to her.

He had only gotten to the second paragraph when he was aware of her watching him, not paying much attention to the book. He took this as a good sign, especially with the way she looked at him. She was biting her lip and staring at him with a gaze of... was that longing? Did she want him as much as he wanted her? Spencer kept reading, deciding to pretend not to notice at first. It was awfully hard to ignore the warm feeling building up in his chest and the butterflies in his stomach though.

"Uh... you know, Tolkein was born in South Africa, actually. He only moved to England when he was three." Spencer spat out nervous facts while flipping through more pages, trying to find something to calm him down. It wasn't working. The most gorgeous girl, inside and out was sitting right next to him, staring deeply into his eyes with nothing short of the upmost affection. He couldn't possibly keep he nerves and excitement down, so he did what he was good at doing: stuttering out random facts.

"He was actually kidnapped for a day when he was a baby. He knew several languages as a teenager, and he- um... you know, you're not looking at the book." Spencer stammered when he couldn't take it anymore. He kept his eyes down on the pages, not courageous enough to look up at her.

"Oh, sorry..." she said, tucking a peice of hair behind her ear. She didn't however, turn her eyes down to the book. She kept them fixed on Spencer until he looked up. Her gray eyes pierced his, but in the best way possible. He was hit with a silent understanding of trust, and understanding, and complete admiration from one stare, shared between two people.

"N- no it's ok. You don't have to." he said, his voice nearly in a whisper now. Was it just him, or were their faces even closer now? The thought sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't get nervous and back out again. He couldn't leave her hanging like last time, but the way she looked at him made his mind go blank. He said the only thing he could think of at the moment. "Each eye contains 107 million cells and all are light-"

Spencer didn't get to finish his sentence. He didn't even get to finish his thought. Before he even knew what was happening, the four inch gap between them was closed as Evie leaned forward and quickly stopped his talking with her lips on his, shutting him up. They were just as soft as he had imagined. Just as warm, just as gentle. He was so surprised that he didn't react at first. His eyes were wide and his body was frozen in place as Evie kissed his lightly.

It took him a couple seconds for his mind to kick in. He had to tell himself that this was actually happening. Evelyn Lawrence was on in his apartment, on his couch, and well... on his lips. He let himself relax his rigid form and nearly melt into her, leaning forward as well and moving his lips against hers. His eyes fluttered closed. He deepened the kiss by putting a hand on the back of her neck under her hair and pulling her in even more with a gentle tug. He felt Evie's fingers lace through his hair with one hand, and her other rest on his knee. They kissed like this for about five more seconds, their lips moving in rythm together before pulling away.

Spencer had never felt so alive and so happy as he did right in that moment. He was just a huge bundle of the best posible emotions. He never wanted this moment to end. He pressed his forehead against hers, listening to their hard breathing join together to almost form one. He looked into her eyes and she looked into his, making them both smile.

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." she whispered. Spencer could just barely feel the graze of her breath on his lips as she spoke, making him grin even wider and nudge his nose against hers.

"Ingrid Bergman." he said, making Evie chuckle. Spencer nuzzled their noses together, their lips barely grazing and driving him nuts.

"Um... I- I've gotta go." Evie said in a mocking tone. Reid didn't understand at first, until he realized what she was doing. She was making fun of the last time he had run out before they could kiss. Spencer rolled his eyes and smiled before tilting his head to the side and attacking her lips with his. Spencer gently guided her down onto the couch so that she was lying on her back, her head propped up against one of the couch pillows. He ran his hand through her hair and held onto the back of her neck with the other, leaning down over her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer.

Reid had been waiting so long for this, he knew there was no going back now. He knew that he had just made a commitment to Evie, a promise of sorts. He had no intentions of breaking it.

With guidance from Evelyn, Spencer moved on top of her so that his body was hovering above hers, propped up by his forearms. They kissed for a while. It seemed like ages which was perfectly fine with Spencer. He was glad they just focused on kissing, not so much... tongue, as Morgan had told him all about when trying to explain girls to Reid. They kept it as a completely romantic and passionate kiss, without saying they wanted in eachother's pants.

Somewhere between a minute and a minute and a half, they were completely enveloped in eachother. The fact that he'd wanted this for so long made it all the better, knowing he finally had the one person he wanted.

"Spencer." Evie breathed between pants, gently holding him back. He raised his eyebrows at her expectantly, waiting for what she had to say. She bit her lip, obviously hesitating.

"What if you leave me. I can't deal with that again." she choked out, a trouble look crossing her face. Spencer sighed and stroked her hair, pushing a peice behind her ear.

"You won't have to. I promise." he whispered, his face but inches from hers. He was lying on top of her at this point, one of her arms around his neck and the other around his back. Their legs were a tangle of limbs at the other end of the couch, and he propped himself up above her to look into Evie's eyes.

"That's what he told me too." Evie said, obviously referring to Calvin.

"There's a difference though."

"What?"

"I'm not Calvin."

Evie beamed, all worry fading from her features. It made Spencer happy to make her happy. He made a pledge to do that every single day for the rest of their lives together. He never wanted to let her go, now that she was his.

He felt her fingers pushing through the hair at the nape of his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. They were more gentle this time, savoring the soft touch of eachothers lips.

"It's almost two in the morning. I should go get some rest, and you should too." Evie said after breaking the kiss. Spencer sighed and nodded. He knew that they both didn't want to rush things. He wouldn't mess up with her. He just couldn't.

They got up off the couch and straightened themselves up a bit from their intense kissing. Spencer walked Evie to the door, but before she left, she turned and kissed him one last time.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow." she said afterwards, squeezing his hand. Spencer smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Evie."

"Good night, Spencer."


	9. Doors Not There Before

**"Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren't even there before." **

**― Mignon McLaughlin**

Evie scribbled out the last of the report from their last case, shaking her hand out afterwards to rid of the cramps. The black glossy ink was already beginning to dry, leaving detailed information of the last unsub they'd caught. The same unsub that had nearly killed Spencer.

Spencer. Evie thought. Her Spencer. She hadn't stopped thinking about him since the other night when they had kissed. It had been absolutely perfect, the long wait making it all the more special. She could almost still feel his lips on hers and his breath on her neck, just as she had last night on his chest. Evelyn thought that might've been the best moment of her life. She didn't regret one bit.

She brought Spencer to work; his car was still broken down in the BAU parking lot. She had spent just a little bit extra time with how she looked today, thought just a little more about what she'd say, and how he was only five feet away from her nearly the entire work day. Evie had to admit, she was a little worried that things would be awkward between them. She was worried that maybe they'd act like it didn't happen and carry on a fake and awkward co-worker relationship. It must've just been her overthinking side however, because as soon as Spencer climbed into her car to go to work, he gently leaned forward and pulled her into a kiss, just as good as the night before. It was quick, but nothing less amazing. Evelyn found herself craving more.

Lost in her thoughts, she jumped at the light contact of something hitting her on the top of her head. Evie frowned and looked around her desk cubicle, wondering what it was. A small scrap of paper had fallen onto her desk in front of her with blue ink written on it. She bit her lip and smiled, realizing where it had come from. She leaned back in her chair to look over at Spencer who was acting oblivious at his desk. She saw his eyes peek over at her and then return back to his papers, grinning ever so slightly. Evie chuckled and looked down at the folded piece of paper, opening the note.

Hi.

Was the only thing it said. Evie smiled at how cute the simplicity of it was, and clicked her pen open. She wrote write under it.

Hey you

Evelyn folded the paper back up and looked at Spencer, taking aim. She tossed the paper over the aisle so that it hit the red fabric of his cardigan on his shoulder. She watched as his eyebrows went up in surprise for a moment, before he realized it was the note and looked up at Evie. He gave her the most charming smile she thought she's ever seen, and then bended over to snatch up the note from where it had fallen.

Spencer smiled to himself, scribbling out something else that was definitely longer than a 'hi'. Folding it back up, he threw it back to Evie who managed to catch it this time. She opened it up, more than excited to see what it said.

Coffee after work today? My treat.

Evie beamed and put the note in her pocked and looked over at Spencer who was watching her, waiting for an answer. She nodded, making him happily sigh and smile. Evelyn just barely caught Morgan out of the corner of her eye who was giving them a suspicious look. She didn't let her gaze linger on him for long, and they returned back to their work, both of them hurrying to get everything done so that they could finally go on their first official date. They hadn't told the team anything yet since they both knew how they'd react. It's not that they didn't want them to know, Spencer and her had just mutually decided to let them figure it out for themselves.

With only one hour left, Evie had gotten up to go to the kitchenette and wash out her coffee cup. She tore off a section of paper towel to dry the inside when she felt someone behind her. Evie put her mug down on the counter in time for familiar arms to wrap around her waist from behind and breath to graze her shoulder, making her shiver. Spencer embraced her tightly and burried his face in the spot where her neck and shoulder met, nuzzling her skin. Evie sighed with bliss and leaned her head to the side to rest against his, enjoying the soft feel of his hair.

"One more hour of being professional." he groaned into her hair, making her chuckle. She rubbed his arms that were tightly secured around her waist, enjoying their moment alone. Eventually she turned in his arms and cupped the side of his face with one hand and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck with the other. Spencer closed his eyes at the contact, obviously enjoying it just as much as Evie. The first day she met him, she would've never expected to get to this point with him. It seemed like just yesterday when they were hopelessly stuttering and blushing. Now they could barely stay away.

Evie, fully appreciating how things worked out, leaned forward and pressed her lips to his to savor the best thing in her life. She felt him slightly smile against her, then move his lips in sync with hers. He tightened his grip around her, pulling them flush against eachother. Evie melted against his chest. It felt so amazing to let herself go and open up to someone. To share something as personal as the touch of her body and the kiss of her lips was more than special to her.

Even though the kiss started out slow, there was no denying that Spencer and Evie had been waiting for this all day. It grew more hungry, grips growing more firm and mouths more open. She couldn't believe she was going so far with someone who she had just gotten together with yesterday. Then she remembered who was just barely grazing her lips with his tongue and who held her like he never wanted to let go... Spencer. She had felt like she had known him forever.

"OH MY GOD!" a shriek startled Spence and Evelyn out of their kiss. They turned around in horror to see Garcia in the doorway with eyes wider than Jupiter. She had dropped the files she was holding, completely disregarding the way they splayed out on the floor. She was frozen in place, mouth agape as she stared at the couple in surprise. Not only that, but she wasn't alone. Morgan stood next to her, eyes nearly the same size as hers. He was surprised, but the corners of his lips were just barely turned up in a smile.

"Um..." Spence started to say. Evie was glad he broke the silence. She didn't even know what to say. Unfortunately his ideas seemed to stop there and the four of them spent another couple seconds in silence. That was, until Garcia broke into the biggest smile you could ever see. She let out an excited laugh and shook her head in misbelief.

"We knew it, we knew it! We all knew it!" she started repeating over and over again, Derek raised his eyebrows at them and chuckled.

"About time, kid." he said, completely amused. Evie looked up at Spencer who was smiling, despite his excessive blushing. Before they could make fun of them anymore, JJ walked by, completely unphased.

"Did you see that, Jayge?" Morgan asked, pointing at where Reid and Evie were still cornered in the kitchenette. She looked up and nodded.

"Yeah, as soon as it happened. Come on, it doesn't really surprise you, does it?" she asked, joining the fun in making them uncomfortable. Spencer shifted his weight besides Evie, taking her hand while rolling his eyes at their friends.

"Yeah, yeah. Have your fun. Just... can we not tell Hotch?" he pleaded. Evie knew what he meant. She didn't think Hotch would be mad, things just got a little touchy when things interfered with work around him. Evelyn was sure that they were mature enough to not let that happen, but still. Something about her boss knowing...

"Oh we won't." A voice came from the other doorway leading into the kitchenette. Spencer cringed besides Evie, and she knew why. The voice was all to familiar. They turned to come face to face with Hotch himself, obviously not oblivious to what was going on. The good part was though, was that he was smiling. Something that was so rare that Evie had learned to treasure it.

"Took you long enough." Aaron joked. Evie felt Spencer relax his grip in her hand so that he wasn't so tense. Hotch was about to turn and walk away when he glanced back one last time.

"Just... Don't let it interfere with work." Hotch added. Spencer and Evie both frantically nodded, neither of them wanted to create any kind of impression otherwise.

"Well we'll just let you two... finish up." Morgan said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at them. Evie laughed and hid her face in Spencer's arm, covering up how she blushed. She had never been so happy as she had been in the last day or two. She felt like nothing could ever change that. She had no idea however, that they were being watched. Not just by Morgan and Garcia and JJ who longed to see their baby brother's first real relationship, but a killer. A mad killer that was infatuated with the idea of the BAU and their team, longing to hurt them in everyway possible. No one had any idea that their pictures were being hung up at that very moment, by a stalker and murderer who planned to destroy them all.

One week later, Evie and Spencer were walking hand in hand down the sidewalk towards her apartment. They just gone for a walk in the park down the street and were now walking home as the last light of day faded from the dark purple skies. They were laughing about how Evie couldn't pronounce armadillidiidae for her life, the "correct" form of rolly polly bug as Spencer had told her when they'd found one in the grass. As much as she loved her job and the friends she had in it, it was nice to talk about normal things with Spencer for once. Well... his definition of normal anyway.

Evie didn't pay much attention when Spencer's hand slipped from hers. She kept walking alongside him, stuttering over the word, trying to say it right. He chuckled next to her, making her laugh as well.

"You know, I don't think I-" Evie stopped cold in midsentence. She had glanced up to see Spencer's smile when she was hit with the fact that he suddenly wasn't there. Evie frowned and stopped walking, doing a 360 to try and see anywhere where he could've wondered to. She still came up empty.

"Spencer?" she called out, just a bit louder than her normal talking level. The sun had almost completely fallen now, and the streetlights were on. They had just been three buildings away from her apartment now... where could he have gone?

"Spence!" she said, her voice growing more strained at this point. She suddenly didn't like the atmosphere she was in. It was silent except for a few cars that would pass by, not minding her at all. She just wanted to get Spencer and get home... she didn't even want him walking back to his apartment from hers now. That is, if she found him.

Evie slowly advanced back the way they came, looking down a deep dark alley that stretched further than she could make out. Could someone come and grabbed him from there? She heard a clank of metal come from deep in the inky black darkness. Her heart was thumping and her breathing was picking up. She felt like someone was watching... waiting...

All of the sudden, Evie felt something clamp down on her right shoulder, making her shriek. She jumped whipped around to see Spencer with the most amused look on face. He leaned in and pecked her on the lips through his cocky smile.

"Boo." he whispered. Evie rolled her eyes at him and slapped him on the arm. As hard as she tried though, she couldn't help but laugh in relief.

"You scared me nearly half to death for your amusment!?" she demanded, pulling him close to her by his jean's belt loop. Spencer shrugged and leaned in to take her lips with his, not even bothering to start off slow as they usually did. He pulled her waist to his and she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him in deeper. She still loved the feel of his skin against hers, ever since the first day she felt it. For the past week, they had been going out ever day after work. Either before or after or during, they would take time to appreciate the way they kissed and embraced. It was Evie's favorite part of every day.

Their kiss this time was heated. Their entire body was moving in the same rythm, adding to the kiss. Eventually, she decided to just go for it and advance a bit further with Spencer, knowing that he was almost new to this kind of stuff. He had warned her earlier about his lack of experience with basically all things girls, but she thought it was adorable.

Evelyn touched her tongue to his bottom lip, seeking the entrance that she craved. She could tell that he was nervous but wanted this as much as she did. Spencer opened his mouth to her, and their tongues almost massage eachother in unison. She thought her breath had been stolen when she had felt and heard the faintest of groans come from Spencer's throat.

Knowing that they weren't willing to rush things so far when it had only been a week though, Evie pulled back to press her forehead against Spencer's and look into his eyes. He was breathing hard, and she imagined she was too. She just couldn't pay attention to much other than him at the moment.

"Let's get you home." he said, taking her hand again. Together, they made the way to her apartment

It had only taken a few more minutes to get there which was lucky for Evie who was still freaked out. Spencer held the door for her to enter the apartment complex and climb the stairs to her door. She got her keys out of her pocket and made her way to the door, when Evie realized something was off. The door was open.

"I... I didn't leave this open when I left, did I?" she mostly asked of herself, trying to remember. She had never left the door open before, and not just unlocked either. Her door was cracked open, a sliver of light pouring out from the inside. She looked up at Spencer, watching fo his expression. He seemed to be deep in thought, examining the door.

"You didn't..." he muttered, reaching ino the back of his belt and coming back with a gun in his hand. Evie was surprised by this. First, that he thought there may be danger. Second, that he just carries a gun around casually.

"You're not playing with me?" she asked, watching Spencer rais his gun into position and point it at the door. He glanced over at her and shook his head while returning his attention back to the door. All playing around had seemed like a distant memory. Everything was silent adding to the already tense feeling in the air. Evelyn could hear her heart pounding out of her chest at this point.

"Stay out here." Spencer whispered, easing the door open to reveal a lit kitchen. Evie went on her tiptoes to look over his shoulder to find no one in the kitchen; as far as she could see anyway. Spencer kept his gun up firmly, moving into Evie's apartment without a sound. She had heard what he said about staying out in the hallway, but there was no way she was going to wait while Spencer put himself in danger alone. She followed him just as quietly, grasping the hem of his shirt for comfort.

"Evie!" he whispered shrilly when he realized she had followed him in. She gave him a frightened look, tightening her grip on his shirt. Spencer let the anger fall from his face and he sighed. "Just stay close to me." he whispered when they fully got into the kitchen. No problem. Evie thought to herself.

Spencer turned and pointed his gun in each corner, moving onto the living room when he didn't find anything. Evie could hear herself breathing. As much as she tried to quiet it, she just couldn't. She pressed her lips to his shoulder when he pointed his gun in each corner of the room again. Spencer leaned his head into hers for a moment before pushing open her bedroom door. Evie held her breath until the room was cleared. Soon the bathroom was as well.

"Hmm." Spencer said, lowering his gun and then putting it back in his gun holister on his belt. "Well there's no one here and it doesn't look like you were robbed, does it?"

Evie thought about it and shook her head. Everything was pretty much as it had been. "Maybe I did leave it open. I'm sure it was probably me." she said, although her heart still pounded faster than normal. She didn't quite believe herself. Evie just didn't want Reid to worry, though.

Spencer put a hand on the side of her face and gently ran his thumb along her cheekbone, looking into her eyes with honest worry. "I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone either way." he said, leaning forward to kiss the top of her head. Evie felt chest bursting with excitement, even at the subtle contact. She wondered if this is what it would always feel like when he would kiss her... like fireworks.

"Then stay for a while. We can watch a movie?" she suggested, intertwining her fingers with his. Spencer pulled her into a hug where she laid her head on his chest.

"Sure. What do you wanna watch?"

Spencer watched Evie spread out a blanket on the floor in front of the couch. She made sure there was not one crease, not one fold. He chuckled at this, watching her make it absolutley perfect.

"You don't have OCD?" he asked, making her look up at him through amused gray eyes.

"Funny. Maybe a little." she said, walking to wall across the room to flip off the lights. They were bathed in darkness now, until Evelyn flipped on the TV. The room was bathed in a blue light from the DVD menu. Spencer watched Evie climb onto the blanket and pat the space next to her. He smiled and crawled next to her, propping himself up against the bottom of the couch.

"What are we watching?" he asked, taking his red cardigan off, leaving him in his dress shirt and tie that he also took off and laid on the couch. Evelyn waited for him to get situated, and then snake her arms around his waist. His shirt was thin enough to feel every bit of her warmth in her arms against his torse. He propped a pillow up against the bottom of the couch so he could lay down, pulling Evie with him.

"Bourne Identity." she said, situating herself on his chest. Spencer stretched out on the blanket and enveloped Evie in his arms. She nuzzled herself onto his chest, lying half on top of him and half on the blanket. Their legs tangled together and their arms were tightly wrapped around eachother. He smiled to himself. He wouldn't ever have imagined that he'd be able to get here, lying on the ground wrapped up in Evie. When he had seen that beautiful girl in the cafe, he had no idea that he'd fall hard in love. He hadn't ever felt this happy before.

"Spencer?" Evie said in a quiet voice as the move previews started. Spencer glanced down at the top of her head right below his chin and kissed her hair.

"Mmm?"

"I'm glad we did this." she said, moving her head up to nuzzle her face into his neck. Her warm breath on his shoulder sent shivers down his spine.

"A movie?"

"No, well yes... I just meant us in general." she said, laying light kissed on his neck. Spencer closed his eyes and enjoyed that moment with her, hoping to have moment like this for the rest of his life. Was he just naive? Or was it reasonable to think of them getting married? Maybe starting a family. 'Little geniouses' as Emily had said once when asking Spencer if he ever considered kids. He hadn't thought of it back then, but now lying here with Evie he really did.

"Me too." he said, rubbing her back. They stayed like that through the movie until about the middle when Spencer noticed her breathing slowing down to a slow and calm pace. She laid still on top of him, eyes closing. It wasn't long before she was sleeping on top of Spencer, still tangled with Spencer. He smiled at how adorable she was when she slept. She was beautiful.

Spencer kissed the top of her head one last time before letting his own eyes close, falling asleep with someone he already loved more with a love stronger than he ever thought possible.


	10. Trust Sacrifice and Protection

**"Being genetically related doesn't make you family. Love, support, trust, sacrifice, honesty, protection, acceptance, security, compromise, gratitude, respect and loyalty is what makes you family."**

**-Unknown**

The smell of pancakes wafted through the air, waking Evie up. Her eyes fluttered open, taking in the sunlight from the window causing her to immediately close them again. She groaned and stretched out, instantly realizing that this wasn't her bed. The surface below her was more firm, and the pillow that the side of her face was pushed up against was a different material. When she stretched, her hand brush up against a structure behind her head: she was in her living room.

The events of last night came back to her from going on a walk in the park with Spencer, to finding her door open, to falling asleep on him in the middle of her living room while watching a movie. Without opening her eyes, she also knew that Spencer was no longer underneath her. Yawning, Evelyn decided it was safe to open her eyes. She squinted against the light until she adjusted, looking at the empty space next to her. There was a clanking noise in the kitchen and a light flooded into the living room from the same direction. He must've gotten up earlier. Was he making breakfast? Evie bit her lip. She felt like screaming. How had she gotten so lucky to have someone like him?

Surpressing the bursting feeling in her chest, Lawrence pushed the blanket off of her that Spencer had most likely draped across her earlier. She pushed herself up and smoothed down her tangled hair as best as she chould, knowing it wouldn't do much. Evie quietly made her way across the floor and into the kitchen where Spencer's back was turned. He was pouring orange juice into two glasses on the counter, not noticing Evie coming up behind him. She silently moved right behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling his body into hers.

"Hey there, sunshine." he chuckled, glancing back at Evie's tired expression over his shoulder. She smiled and nuzzled her face into his back, taking in the smell of his clothes that she loved. Evie would love waking up to this every morning.

"I didn't know 'staying a little while' meant all night." she joked, taking a deep breath into the back of his dress shirt that he still wore from the night before. He chuckled and closed the orange juice.

"Sorry. You fell asleep on me and I didn't want to wake you." he said. Evie loosened her grip on him so that he could turn to face her, leaning against the counter.

"Don't apologize, I'm glad you did." she said, taking both of his hands in hers. He smiled a tired smile at her and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I um... I kinda found a few new tooth brushes in your bathroom and opened one." he said, looking guilty. Evie kissed his forehead and then pulled away from his body.

"That's fine. Might as well keep it here for you in case you ever fall asleep here again." Evie called over her shoulder as she walked towards her bedroom to get ready. "I'm going to get ready before breakfast real quick." she added, walking through the living room.

"Ok. Better hurry; we have to leave for work in 7 minutes and 43 seconds." Spencer called after her. Evie gasped and ran through her room, looking for suitable clothes.

"Spencer! Why didn't you wake me up earlier!" she shrieked, running around frantically and pulling off and pulling on different clothes.

"You looked so peaceful!" he said from the kitchen. Evie chuckled and rolled her eyes. At least she had clothes to change into. Spencer had to work with the same ones he had on now. She hoped no one at work noticed. They would be anything but quiet and suggestive about it.

"Woahhhhh... Are those the same clothes as yesterday, Pretty Boy?" Morgan's voice came behind Spencer who was in the conference room, looking through report files. Spencer sighed and turned to see Derek beaming in mockery, clapping Spencer on the back. "Did the Spencer Reid get some last night?"

"No! Morgan!" Spencer protested, rolling his eyes at his nosey friend. Morgan pursed his lips in disappointment.

"So explain your clothes." he prodded further, poking Spencer in the side and making him jump away. Reid shot him an irritated glance and stacked his papers together, not looking up at Morgan.

"I stayed with her for the night 'cause when we returned to her place from the park, her door was unlocked and open. I didn't feel safe leaving her there alone." Spencer explained in an distracted tone while picking up files.

"Wait... really?"

"Yes Morgan, really. I swear nothing else hap-"

"No, no. Not that. When I got home the other day it looked like someone had been through my apartment too. I just brushed it off until now." Derek told Reid, all of his joking put aside. Spencer finally turned his attention to Morgan now, with a confused frown.

"Weird..." he muttered, looking at Morgan who gave him the same gaze back. Spencer sat there thinking about it for a moment before they were interupted.

"Spence, I-" JJ started, but she stopped in mid sentence upon seeing Spencer. He looked at her strangely, wondering why she was looking at him in the same way.

"Are those the same clothes as yesterday?" she asked, eyeing him up and down. Spencer groaned and began walking out of the room. He should've known. Why did everyone have to notice everything?

JJ and Morgan fell in step behind him, following him to his desk where Garcia was already talking to Evie. Spencer raised his eyebrows at Evie to show her that he was getting very irritated with his friends at the moment. She held back a laugh. Spencer would have playfully rolled his eyes at her, but just seeing her smile made him cheer up. He set his bag down at his desk as JJ leaned in close to him to whisper.

"Did you and Evie... you know..." she started off, trying to be subtle and failing. Unfortunately, Garcia wasn't too keen on being subtle.

"YOU GUYS HAD SEX?" she exclaimed loudly, making a few heads turn to them. Spencer shot her a look that was a cross between pure surprise and anger. Garcia made an "o" with her mouth, realizing what she had done. Evie covered her mouth with her hand, either because she was so startled or trying not to smile. Spencer didn't find it quite as funny at the moment, despite Morgan's uncontrollable laughter from behind him. Reid burried his face in his hands and then ran them through his hair. He loved his friends dearly, but all families got on eachother's nerves.

"Come on, baby girl. I think it's time to go back to your lair, isn't it?" Morgan managed to say when he had calmed his laughing. Garcia who was still in shock from what she had burst out nodded and gave Spence an apologetic look before leaving with Derek.

"Um... well I was originally going to ask you a favor Spence." JJ said hesitantly, like Spencer might lash out. He took a deep breath and brushed the Garcia incident off. He forced a smile at JJ and nodded for her to continue. "Will and I are going out on Friday for a night to ourselves. Could you and Evie maybe watch Henry?"

JJ always called it a "favor" when Spencer would watch Henry for her. He had always considered it a privelage for himself. He loved his godson. It was one of the best moments of his life when JJ had made him Henry's godfather. Ever since then he had pledged to be the best he could for Henry.

"Yeah, definitely. Evie?" he cued her, looking over to her desk.

"Sure, I'd love to meet Henry." she said, smiling at JJ.

"Henry loooooves Uncle Spence." she said, smiling at Spencer before squeezing his shoulder. "If you guys could be there at seven, that'd be great."

"Will do." Reid assured her. When she left, Evie got up and walked to lean against Spencer's desk as he sat down. He loved having her desk right across from his. Sometimes he wondered if Hotch did that on purpose.

"I didn't know you were so close with Henry." Evie said, taking a pen off of Spencer's desk and taking it apart. She often did this and then put it back together. Reid had realized in the time he's known her that she always needs to be fiddling with sometime. Where some people would find this irritating, he found it completley adorable.

"Yeah, he's my godson." he said, watching Evie freeze her fidgeting hands.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well in that case, I didn't know you and Jayge were so close!"

"Yeah, she's my sister."

"REALLY?"

"No."

Evie laughed and hit him on the arm for messing with her. Spence smirked at how she had gotten so worked up. He was glad she was so easy going about how he messed around with her. She overthought a lot of things, but not to a point where it was unbearable. It was to the point where it was extremely cute. Now that he was going to be able to have her meet Henry, Spencer was excited. He loved the idea of someone who he deeply cared about meeting another person who meant just as much to him. He had a feeling she'd be good with Henry too. Babysitting may not have sounded like everyone's ideal Friday night, but Spencer had always looked forward to spending time with Henry. This Friday wasn't an exception.

"Knowing how beautiful Jayge is, Henry's got to be a pretty cute kid." Evie said when in the car next to Spencer. He was pulling out onto the main street outside of her complex, focused mainly on the road.

"Yeah, he is. Evs you're no less gorgeous." he added, glancing over at her. Evelyn felt herself blush. She had been dating Spencer for almost two weeks now and he still had the power to make her blush. The last two weeks had been the best of her life. She just hoped that it wouldn't ever have to end. She committed herself to Spence, but at the same time she was careful not to throw all of her hope in for a future with him. That's how she got hurt last time. She was naïve and believe everything Calvin had told her. Of course she trusted him, she just didn't want to get caught up in a future that didn't exist.

"Evs?" she questioned him, noticing what he had called her. Spencer seemed confused at first, before remembering what he had said.

"Oh... I don't know. It just kind of popped out." he said, sending her an apologetic smile. Evie bit her lip and took his hand in hers that wasn't on the steering wheel.

"I like it."

Spencer turned to give her another smile that she couldn't sworn made her warmer all over. He squeezed her hand and she sighed happily. She wouldn't have had the last two weeks go any other way.

After the car ride that was only about five to ten minutes, Spencer and "Ev" were standing at the front door step, listening to JJ unlock the door from the inside. She swung the front door open in her dark blue sleeveless dress, black heels, and curled hair.

"You look great, JJ." Evie complimented right away, making JJ smile.

"Thank you. Sorry, Will and I are running a bit late." she said, waving them in and then frantically going through her closet for a coat.

"Speak for yourself." someone with an accent spoke up from the top of the stairs. Evie glanced up to see Will for the first time, walking down the stairs with a suit jacket and dress shirt. He was like Evelyn had imagined him for the most part, especially the accent that Spencer had told her about. He smiled kindly at her when reaching the floor and shook her hand.

"Hi, you must be Evelyn. I'm Will, JJ's husband." he said, firmly shaking her hand. She already approved.

"Nice to finally meet you." she replied with a smile, hoping he'd like her just the same. He smiled kindly back and then clapped Spencer on the shoulder.

"Hey Spencer. How've you been doing?"

"Alright, you?" he continued with the light conversation until JJ interjected in a rush.

"Will, do you have the-"

"Keys?" he asked, holding up a ring of keys for JJ to see. She sighed in relief and stopped running around the house, trying to get ready.

"Henry!" she called out while slinging her purse over her shoulder. "Uncle Spence and his friend are here."

The sound of a door opening upstairs was heard followed by the small thumping of footsteps. A small boy of about 6 or 7 showed up at the top of the stairs. He had blonde hair just like JJ's, and the resemblance to both parents was obvious. His hair was combed over to one side, the other side cut short. He smiled when he spotted Spencer and hurried down the stairs before jumping off the last step into Spencer's arms.

"Ugh, Henry. You're getting big, aren't you?" he grunted, wrapping his arms around Henry to hold him up. Evie watched in admiration as Spencer made Henry giggle wildly while swinging him in his arms. She felt the familiar warm feeling build up in her chest whenever she took time to watch Spencer and appreciate how adorable he was.

"Alright, we are heading out." JJ said, throwing her coat over her shoulder with a flustered look on her face from being rushed. She smiled at Evie who smiled back and squeezed Spencer's shoulder. "Thank you guys so much for doing this. Henry?" she addressed him while Spencer set him down on the floor again. Henry looked over towards his mother so that she could give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be good for Spencer and Evie, ok?"

Henry smiled and nodded before giving Will a hug. They thanked Evie and Spencer one last time before they waved and left out the door. Evie, Spencer, and Henry were left standing alone in the foyer. Evelyn looked down to see Henry eyeing her nervously. She had expected this. She was a stranger with his "Uncle Spence". He was probably shy, but she was prepared.

"Hey Henry. I'm Evie." she said, finding a happy medium between speaking as if to a small child and normally to an adult. She didn't want to treat him like too much of a little kid, she knew how kids at that age liked considering themselves old.

"Are you Spence's friend?" he asked, gripping Spencer pant leg. He was brave though. He smiled sweetly up at her which made her feel a little less nervous. He was only about seven and she was the nervous one about making a first impression! It made sense though. He was so important to Spencer, so he was important to her.

"Yeah, I am." she said, reaching into her coat pocket to pull out a dum-dum sucker. She always kept them at her place for some reason which was convenient for now. Henry looked at it excitedly, all shyness falling from his face. He looked up at Spencer for permission. Reid ruffled his hair.

"Go ahead, Henry." he said. Henry looked to Evie and smiled before taking the sucker.

"Thank you." he said, starting to already unwrap the paper. Evie watched him while he did. She could see why him and Spencer were so close. There was nothing not to love about this kid. He was such a sweetheart, just like JJ. She raised him well.

"Hey, do you want to play Star Wars?" Spencer asked, making Henry jump and down excitedly. He smiled, one of his teeth missing. Evie guessed it was probably his first.

"I call the red light saber!" Henry said, turning to run through the foyer and into the living room, leaving Spence and Evie in the room alone. She took Spencer's hand in hers and he kissed her forehead.

"He's so cute." Evie whispered as they walked hand in hand to the edge of the living room to watch Henry go through the closet for his toys. Spencer nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Here, Uncle Spence." Henry said, holding out a closed light saber towards Spencer.

"Why don't we have dinner real quick so we can have time to play?" Spencer said, walking forward to take the light saber and lay it on the couch. Henry looked up at him, dissapointed. "We'll have even more time to play, Henry. Your mom already heated up chicken nuggets." Spencer assured him, ruffling Henry's hair. The dissapointment fell away, and Henry rushed to the kitchen. Reid smiled, watching Henry go and Evie smiled watching Spencer. She had no idea he was so good with kids.

"Does Miss Evie like chicken nuggets?" Reid asked, wrapping his arms around Evie. She chuckled and lied her head on his chest, snaking her arms around his waist as well.

"Only if they're dinosaur shaped." she joked, talking into his shirt. Spencer snorted in amusement.

"I didn't know I was taking care of two kids tonight."

After dinner, Evie sat down and watched Henry and Spencer battle with their light sabers. Sometimes Spencer would catch Henry in a tickle fight and sometimes he'd let Henry win. Sometimes Evie wasn't even sure if Spencer was letting him win which amused her. She watched him in affection, loving how kind he was with Henry. She couldn't help but imagine them with kids of their own. She couldn't ask for a better father for her children. She reminded herself that it's only been two weeks since they've been dating, but it felt like she had known Spencer for a lifetime. They've told eachother everything that they've never told anyone before. They shared secrets, trust, likes, dislikes, kisses, cuddles... everything really. And Evelyn loved every second of it.

"Hey... Henry..." Spencer whispered, leaning down to whisper something else in Henry's ear. Evie snapped herself out of her thoughts to look at them in confusion. He glanced at her, a devious gleam in his eye. She didn't like the look of that.

Suddenly, they both dropped their light sabers and Spencer rushed forward. He wrapped his arms around Evie and pulled her to the carpet floor. She shrieked, eyes widening as Spencer started tickling her. She hadn't been tickled years and years. It was an experience she never really wanted again because of how unbelievable ticklish she was. It didn't make it much better when Henry came to help Spencer in her torture.

"No! Spencer!" she managed to say through hysterical laughing. She writhed on the floor, trying to get out of his grasp. "Henry!"

"Ok, let's spare her. What do you say, Henry?" Reid smirked. Evie groaned and slapped him on the arm. Her stomach was sore from the mix of tickling and laughing as she pushes herself up on the floor to prop herself against the bottom of the couch.

"Do you love Spencer?" Evie heard Henry's small voice ask. The question caught her wayyyyy off guard. He said it in such a sweet innocent voice, making her chest warm. Spencer's eyes were wider then usual, obviously taken aback from the question as well. Evelyn laughed and then softly smiled at Spencer before turning to Henry who stared up at her, a hopeful look on his face. She smiled and gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Yes, very much." she said. Henry broke into a smile directed up at Evie. She had never meant anything more in her life. She did love Spencer. "Very Much", just as she had said. "Let's go get pajamas on, huh Henry?" she said sweetly. Henry nodded and pushed himself up to pad across the floor towards the stairs in the foyer. Evie watched him go, feeling herself smile inside and out. She really had come to love Henry.

"Mmmm..." Spencer groaned into her shoulder as he leaned into it. She shivered at his hot breath seeping through the fabric of her tight long sleeved shirt and chuckled as he nuzzled into her neck, sighing.

"Tired?" she smirked, stroking his ruffled hair. He nodded and gently planted kisses on her neck. She loved when he nuzzled her. Evie felt herself swell at how cuddly he was being.

"I'm glad I almost spilled your coffee." Spencer said, obviously referring to when they first met. Evie laughed and kissed the top of his head while he continued gently kissing the soft skin of her neck.

"Can we watch a movie!" Henry's voice came from right around the corner. Spencer jerked back away from Evie in time for Henry to come in the room, pjs already on. He had blue pajama pants on with small pictures of Marvel's The Avengers characters all over them. He wore a matching pajama shirt as well. Evie smiled at how completely adorable he was.

"Sure, what do you want to watch?" Spencer said, still a little flustered from almost being caught by Henry.

"Avengers!"

"I would've never guessed." Spencer mumbled, looking at how Henry was dressed. Evie laughed and opened her arms for Henry to jump on her lap. He most definitely wasn't shy anymore, and Evie wasn't nervous about being approved. They had both warmed up to eachother pretty well. They watched Spencer pop the DVD out of the case and then put it in the DVD player.

"Hey, I'll go get you some apple juice. How does that sound?" Evie asked Henry. He nodded excitedly.

"Yes please."

An hour later, they were about half way through the movie. Henry was spread out on the floor drinking his apple juice and Evie sat on the couch watching the movie with him. She had never seen the movie and was liking it so far. Not so much as Henry however. He wouldn't tear his eyes from the screen. Spencer wasn't too aware of the movie at all. He stood behind the couch and massaged Evie's shoulders. She sighed happily, letting Spence relax her. She loved this. She loved playing 'house' with Spencer and imagining having a kid of her own one day. Maybe they'd have a movie night like this every week where their kids would watch the movie while Spencer massaged Evie's shoulders which she loved. They'd have their own house in a nice safe neighborhood, not too far from the FBI headquarters. It would be everything Evie always dreamed of, and she wanted to share it with Spence.

"So what about our own?" Evie whispered, craning her head up to see Spencer look down at her. His eyes looked even darker in the shadows. He had told her there literally was a such thing as 'dark eye syndrome'. She loved it though. She loved everything about him and wouldn't change a thing.

"Our own what?" he asked softly.

"Kids."

Spencer froze the rubbing of her shoulders and looked away from her in surprise. She kept her eyes on him though, waiting for an answer. The corners of his lips rose a bit as he turned his eyes back down on her.

"What has it been, like two weeks only?" he joked, referring to how long they'd been dating. Evie chuckled and glanced at Henry to make sure they weren't interupting him. He seemed unphased so she looked back up at Spencer when he resumed massaging her shoulders.

"Really, though." she whispered. Spencer leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah. I'd like that." he whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He smirked at how she reacted and then straightened again. He resumed his movements and she relaxed back into his melodic massaging. She slowly closed her eyes in bliss, but before she caught a glimpse of something out the window... a face. It was hard to catch since it was already at its darkest hour outside, but she could've sworn it was there. She snapped her eyes back open, but it was gone. Had she imagined it? Was she going insane? Maybe she was just tired. Either way, Evie hesitantly let it go. She had had too many late nights. The lack of sleep was most likely getting to her.

Throughout the movie, Evelyn couldn't help but feel paranoid. The entire house was dark and she fought the urge to go around and turn on every single light to make her feel better. Every sound coming from another room made her jump. She had tried to dismiss the feeling and dismiss what she had thought she saw, but she just had a feeling.

"Evie, you just jumped for the fourth time in the last twenty minutes. What's up?" Spencer questioned her. She sighed and decided to tell him.

"I- I just thought I saw someone out the window earlier but I must've imagined it." Evie said. Spencer tensed behind her.

"Evs, don't doubt yourself." he said. She knew he'd take it seriously. She didn't blame him after everything he's seen and been through. Things had been on edge ever since they found her apartment door open as well. Reid had told her that Morgan had had some strange things happen to his house as well. The thought scared Evelyn. Maybe she shouldn't doubt herself...

Just as Evie was about to suggest they look around the house, a sound came from the foyer. It was a rattling and clicking sound... someone was trying to unlock the door. Evie and Spencer froze in synchronization. Their heads snapped to the right towards the front door. The clicking didn't stop. It sounded like someone was trying to pick the lock.

"JJ and Will aren't supposed to be home for another hour or two." Evie whispered. Spencer shook his head. Evie felt shivers go down her spine and a piercing realization ran through her. Spencer solidified her thoughts...

"That's not Jayge. Someone's trying to break in."


	11. Faithful Protection

**"Confidence... thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live."**

**-Franklin D. Roosevelt**

"Uncle Spence?" Henry whimpered as he sat up on the carpet. Spencer frowned down at his godson and walked around the couch to kneel down and let Henry climb on his back. The sounds by the front door continued, the clicking and clanking getting more and more frantic. Evie looked at Spencer with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something.

"Let's get to the basement." he whispered, nodding towards a door on the kitchen wall. Evie nodded and tried to remain calm, despite the way her heart felt as if it would beat out of her chest. She could hear pounding in her ears and her hands shook uncontrollably. Still, she was here to watch over Henry as much as Spencer was. She had to act confident for him and for Spencer.

All three of them snuck through the kitchen. Evie eased the door open since Spencer's hands were full holding up Henry on his back who was burrying his head in Reid's shoulder. Evie insisted Spencer took Henry down first before she followed. As soon as she stepped down onto the first rickety wooden step, she heard the clinking stop. The squeek of the front door opening that she recalled from earlier filled the air. She could've sworn her heart stopped in that moment. The TV was still playing, being the only source of light throughout the house. It cast eerie flickering shadows throughout the kitchen, making her only motivated to move faster. She softly closed the door as quickly as she could with still being quiet, and tip toed down the stairs after Spencer.

The basement was unfinished, used mostly for storage. The floors were a cool cement through her socks and the cinderblock walls only added to the dull gray atmosphere. Metal shelfs with various appliances, boxes, and toys lined the walls and even the middle of the room. The room was small enough for every corner to be illuminated from the moonlight shining in from the small basement windows at the top of the walls. Thank goodness too, Evie didn't need to be anymore frightened than she already was.

"Take Henry, I'm going to go check it out." Spencer whispered, sliding Henry off his back and into Evie's arms. He was heavier than she thought he would be being a small child. She had to remember that she wasn't too big either though. She reinforced her arm under Henry and the one behind his back and sat on a stool in a hidden corner in the basement, finding a comfortable position.

"Is there a bad guy in my house?" Henry whispered, his scared face only a few inches away from Evie. She gave him a sad smile and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"I don't know. It'll be okay though. I promise." Evie tried to seem strong as she reassured him. Henry's face softened a bit as he clung onto the shoulder of Evie's shirt and let his eyes wonder to the things around him. Evie sighed. She hoped she could keep her promise.

Evie looked over to Spencer who was on the other side of the basement, opening the top drawer of a tall dresser with a child lock on the knob. He sifted through the items and ended up taking out a Smith and Wesson Handgun. He rushed through more junk in the drawer until he found a few bullets. He loaded the gun and then moved back to where Evie held Henry.

"How- how..."

"JJ told me where to find the emergency gun the first time I babysat." he explained in a rush. Evie nodded, realizing it wasn't important at the moment.

"Spencer, I don't feel comfortable with you going up alone." Evie whispered before Spencer could turn and start up the stairs. He sighed and reached forward to squeeze her hand that was supporting Henry's back.

"Protect Henry. I'll be alright." he told her. He didn't fool Evs though. She could see the unsureness in his face and hear it in his voice. She nodded though, her facial expression still painted with concern and worry. Spencer kissed her cheek and ruffled Henry's hair before turning and gently ascending up the stairs. Evie watched him go the entire way, flinching when the door squeeked as Spencer opened it. He seemed to make it up alright however. Evie rubbed Henry's back and he leaned his head into her shoulder. He comforted her as much as she did him. She just prayed for Spencer's safety...

* * *

><p>Spencer gently shut the door behind him after scanning the kitchen and what he could see of the living room. Reid raised his gun and swung around, making sure to look at every corner. On his exterior he seemed calm, but on the inside he was terrified. Evie and Henry were down in the basement and he was scanning a dark house for a possible killer who could potentially kill them if he fails. He had to be strong for them though. His top priority was to protect them, even if he didn't make it out alive. Being alive would be quite a nice plus though.<p>

Reid jumped upon hearing sudden footsteps in the foyer. He gulped nervously and tried to ignore his racing heart as he carefully moved into the hallway towards the foyer, thanking his mismatched socks for helping him stay quiet while walking across the hardwood floor. He advanced into the dark foyer that was nearly submerged in complete darkness, save for the square of moonlight cast onto the stairs from the window overhead. Spencer blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Knowing that it took an average of between 30-45 minutes for the human eye to fully adapt to Mesopic, Scoptic, and Night Vision, he realized it wouldn't help much. Luckily, he could eventually see the outline of object around him, none of them being in the shape of a human.

The TV still muttered the voices of Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Hiddleston, the movie still carrying on and casting lights throughout the house. Spencer just thought it added to the eeriness. He tried to shake the feeling and remembered who he was doing this for. For JJ... For Will... For Henry and Evie. Spencer took a deep breath and was about to turn to search the dining room when a voice came from behind him in the hallway that he had just walked through.

"Hello, Dr. Reid." the chilling voice hissed. Spencer felt his heart leap at the crisp voice and whipped around.

BANG! Evie heard a clear sounding gun shot slice through the air. She stopped breathing for a moment while her mind raced. No, Spencer. Spencer is hurt. Spencer is dead. It's you fault, why didn't you go up with him?

"Evie!?" Henry whimpered, facing her in her lap. His face was scrunched up in a mix of terror, worry, and distress. Evelyn's face most likely didn't look much different. She hugged Henry to her chest, feeling him sniffle and try to hold back tears.

"Hey, it's ok buddy." She said, rubbing his back. She took a deep breath. She knew she had to think fast. Looking around the basement over Henry's shoulder, she didn't see much that'd help her. Her eyes did catch a particular shelf with different tools scattered. She bit her lip and made a decision.

"Hey, I'm going to be right back, okay?" she told Henry. He looked frightened by her words, sending knives into her heart. She didn't want to leave him but she had to at least try to protect him. Maybe it would give him a chance to escape. She really wished she hadn't left her phone in her jacket pocket. The cops could've gotten here. Maybe Spencer was alive though. Maybe he had shot the unsub. Or maybe he was hurt and in need of medical attention. Either way, Evie knew she couldn't just wait there. "If I don't come back, I want you to carefully get to the top of the shelf, unlatch the window, and crawl out. Don't stop running until you get to safety. Got it?" Evie asked. Henry frowned but nodded. He threw his arms around Evie's neck.

"Is Uncle Spence okay?" he asked her in a small voice. She pulled away and squeezed his shoulder. "I don't know. I'm going to go check, okay? Stay hidden until you know it's not safe." she whispered before running to the shelf with the tools. Her eyes studied the pile of screwdrivers, and hammers, and drills. What could she use? Crowbar! she thought as her eye caught one. She closed the cool metal in her hand and quietly slid it off the shelf. She gave one last reassuring smile to Henry before carefully proceeding up the stairs. She used the rail to take some of her weight of the old wood to prevent it from creaking. It seemed like forever until she finally made it to the top.

Just before she was about to turn the door knob, the door swung open. Evie shrieked, not even having enough time to acknowledge the crowbar in her hand. She jumped so high she nearly stumbled down the stairs. To her relief, Spencer stood in the threshold and grabbed her wrist before she could fall backwards.

"Woahhhh..." he muttered, holding her arm until he knew she was alright. Evie stood there breathing hard. She heard Henry softly crying from the darkness of the basement.

"It's ok, Henry. Only Spencer." she breathed. She heard sniffles and the padding of small feet across the floor approach the bottom of the staircase.

"Hope you weren't planning on using that on me." Spencer said, looking at the crowbar that she had forgotten she was holding. Evelyn set it down and took a second to wrap her arms around Spencer, savoring in his... aliveness as she described it in her head. She nuzzled her face into his chest and hummed happily as he stroked her hair. Evs wasn't sure if she'd ever get this chance again. Suddenly, everything caught up to her. Spencer very well could've been dead...

"Hey... no crying." he said, realizing how her shoulders slightly shook when she tried to hold back tears. Evie smiled slightly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She squeezed Spencer's hand before turning to see Henry making his way up the stairs. Spencer and Evie stepped back into the kitchen to give Henry room to come out from the basement. As soon as his bare feet hit the hardwood of the kitchen floor, he ran and threw his arms around Spencer, burying his head in the shirt over Spencer's stomach since that's all he reached with his height. Reid rubbed his back before kneeling down to better wrap his arms around Henry's small torso. Evie smiled while watching Spencer calm Henry down. He'd be such a great father.

"What about the guy?" Evie asked. Spencer sighed and stood up straight again, tapping his fingers nervously on the handle of the gun held between his belt and his hip.

"I was checking the foyer when I heard him behind me. I couldn't turn fast enough to get a good shot. He wasn't expecting me to have a gun so he had already ran and crashed out a window before I could get him." Spencer said, disappointment clear in his voice. Evie rubbed his arm in attempt to comfort him. "There's something else..." he whispered to her. She looked up at him in confusion. "He knew my name."

Evie felt her breath catch in her throat. The man that had broken in to JJ's house knew Spencer's name? But how? Was this in anyway linked to when they'd found her apartment door open?

"We need to go somewhere safe." Spencer said, kneeling down to let Henry jump on his back just as before. He straightened again and nodded to the front door. Evie took a deep breath and followed him out, not even bothering to turn off the still running TV.

"Where are we going to go?" she asked. Spencer glanced over his shoulder.

"I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Spencer and Evie stood on the front porch. Spencer let Henry hop up on his back again, not wanting to loose contact with him. It was his job to protect his godson and his girlfriend as well, he wouldn't mess up. Spencer smiled a bit, despite what was going on. He had never fully thought 'girlfriend' when thinking about Evie in his head. Of course he knew she was, but he hadn't ever truly tried out the word. He liked it.<p>

"Hey, JJ. It's Evie. Listen, Henry is perfectly fine but there was a... mishap..." Spencer heard Evie say, trying to carefully choose the right word. She had called JJ but only got voicemail. Spencer thought this was strange. JJ never let her phone out of her sight when leaving Henry without her. He hoped she was alright. "Anyway, we are on Hotch's front door step right now. We'll be staying here until you guys decide where you want to go from here. I don't reccommend going home though. It's not safe. Please call me as soon as you can. Thanks, bye." she said awkwardly, hanging up the phone afterwards just as the front door opened. Hotch stood there with his usual frown. His eyes flickered with confusion under his dark eyebrows.

"Reid... Lawrence..." he greeted unsurely. "And Henry." he added.

"Hotch, we have a problem." Spencer said, sliding Henry off his back so that he stood in front of Reid now. Hotchner opened the door wider and waved them inside, shutting the door behind them.

"What's going on?" he asked. Before Spencer could explain, Beth came from around the corner with a concerned look on her face. She didn't say anything, but took her spot next to Hotch. She still held a glass of red wine in her hand. She nodded a greeting to Spencer and Evie who she hadn't met yet and listened with Hotch.

"We were babysitting Henry when someone broke in. I had Evie and Henry stay in the basement and then searched the house. The guy surprised me from behind. He knew my name, Hotch. He knew how to get into JJ's house. I couldn't get a good look or a shot. I'm not too sure any of us our safe. If he knew me and he knew JJ, he most likely knows all of us." Spencer said, taking Evie's hand in his. He had done it in attempt to comfort her since she looked genuinely freaked out. He had to admit, it really calmed him down too though. He rested his hand on Henry's head and ruffled his hair.

"And JJ? Will?" Hotch asked in full business mode despite the plaid pajama pants and casual tee shirt he wore.

"Not answering." Evie added. Hotch sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone better to turn to." Spencer said.

"No, no. You can always come here, you know that Reid." he said gently. Spencer sighed in relief and smiled gratefully. He didn't know what he'd do without his team.

"Come in, we'll see what we can do about JJ and Will." Hotch said. All four adults sat in the living room of Hotch's place. Beth had offered them wine and both Spencer and Evie gratefully accepted. Henry and Jack played together in the next room with Jack's legos. Spencer wrapped around Evie's shoulders as they both watched them play. She had asked them about kids... the thought made Spencer fill with pure happiness and warmth. He thought about how it'd be to create a family with Evie. It's a future he desperately wanted. He did want little geniuses. He realized that now that he thought about it. Maybe they'd have her gorgeous eyes, her beautiful hair, her flawless skin... The thought almost eased his mind from the idea of someone out to get his entire team. Not quite though.

Hotch had contacted the rest of the team, telling them to be on guard and that they were all needed to come in early to work the next day to discuss this. At first it was easy to dismiss Evie's open door, or Morgan's disturbed apartment. Now, with the unsub knowing Spencer's name and getting into JJ's house... it was undeniable that they were in danger.

"Hotchner." Hotch's voice called Spencer's attention back to the living room. He had his phone raised to his ear and it was apparent that someone had called. He frowned and listened for a moment before his face softened.

"Come right away... Yes... Perfectly fine... Yeah, here he is." Hotch said. The whole room was silent, watching him in anticipation. He ended up handing the phone to Spence who put his glass down and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Spence, oh my god. I know Henry is okay, but what about you and Evie?" JJ's voice came from the phone. "Fine, fine. How about you and Will?"

"We're fine. On our way to Hotch's now. Now what happened?" she asked, her voice shaking. He didn't blame her. She had no idea what was going on and probably only wanted to hold her kid in her arms. Spencer felt awful that this had happened. He rushed all of his words to the point where it was nearly incomprehensible. He explained everything from Evie seeing a face out the window to having them hide in the basement to getting everyone safely to Hotch's.

"I'm sorry, Jayge." he said at the end.

"Spencer! Why? God, I'm so grateful. You protected him, Spence. Thank you." she said sweetly. Spencer smiled and nodded even thought he knew JJ couldn't see.

"Anytime. I'll see you in a few." he said. JJ said goodbye and then the line went dead. When JJ and Will reached Hotch's house, Henry ran into her arms. Spencer and Evie smiled to each other watching the family reunite. She had come and hugged Evie too, and next Spencer, thanking them for taking care of Henry. Hotch invited them to stay and they gratefully accepted. Once everything was settled down, Spencer and Evie thanked Aaron for the hospitality and made their way home.

"Evs, I really am worried. You sure you'll be okay?" he asked. "You can come to my place." he suggested. They both sat in the parking lot of her apartment complex in Spencer's car. He really was terrified of her staying alone. She kept saying she didn't want to bother him, and he kept trying to assure her that she most certainly was not.

"I'll be okay, Spence." she told him, brushing his hair off his forehead. He still gave her an unsure look. He didn't want to push her though. They had only been dating for a couple weeks and he didn't want to move to fast. There was a guy out there that possibly is after the team though! This was definitely a special circumstance. Still though, he couldn't push her.

"Okay... Text me when you get in your apartment. Search the apartment and text me when it's clear. Text me when you go to bed and then when you wake up too." he told her, taking Evie's hand in his. She smiled at him, probably at his over protectiveness. He knew he was being a bit over the top, but he couldn't risk it.

"Alright, alright." Evie agreed. She leaned in and kissed Spencer lightly on the lips, sending shivers down his spine. He smiled and nudged her nose with his, asking for a bit more than just a peck on the lips. Evie playfully rolled her eyes.

"So needy!" she joked, leaning in to press her lips against his harder. Spencer winded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. When they broke apart with heavy breathing, he kissed her one last time on the tip of her nose.

"Be careful." he said.

"Always." she said back. She popped the door open and got out. Spencer watched her go until she got into the complex door. Spencer groaned and threw his head back in frustration with himself. Why didn't he tell her that he loved her? It was the perfect opportunity. He did, too. He really meant it. Spencer made sure to take the opportunity next time it showed itself. He felt his phone vibrate as Evie's text came in, letting him know she got in alright and that the apartment was clear. He sighed and pulled out of parking lot.

* * *

><p>"What is this!" Morgan's voice came across the BAU bullpen. Spencer sighed. He was used to his team members coming in baffled at this point. He had gone to sleep the other night after he had known Evie was okay. The next morning he had left his apartment to pick her up for work when he stepped on a paper outside his doorway. It had a large black markings of lines on one side, and a message on the other. You cannot win. It said. He instantly called Evie to find that she had found something similar. He rushed to her apartment to find a straight line and curve on her paper with the same message on the back.<p>

Once at the BAU, Hotch had revealed a similar paper. JJ's was thankfully found at her house so the unsub obviously didn't know she was staying with Hotch. Garcia came running in, almost in tears while waving her paper around and Rossi had come in angry. Morgan was the last to show up.

"Everyone in the round table room." Hotch said from the doorway of his office. Reid looked over at Evie who sadly smiled at him and stood up. He pushed himself out of his chair and followed her and the rest of the team. Spencer didn't know where they'd go from here. He was hoping Hotch had some kind of idea.

"Alright." Aaron said as everyone sat around the table. "It's apparent now that this entire team is in danger. All other cases are on hold until we figure this out. We can't do our job if our own lives are all in danger." he informed everyone. Spencer wasn't too thrilled about not being able to go help other people, but he knew Hotch was certainly right. He had heard the unsub's chilling voice. There was an undoubtable amount of hate and danger in there. Now they had been threatened.

"What's a curve supposed to mean?" Morgan asked, throwing his paper down on the table in frustration. Spencer squinted at the paper and then observed JJ's from beside him. He turned to the other side and looked over at Evie's.

"Everyone put their paper's on the table, line side up." Spencer instructed, ignoring the confused faces. He looked at all the papers on the table in front of him, his mind running wild. He imagined the different combinations in his mind. Pictures seemed to whiz around him, filling his mind with possibilities and ideas...

"Wait." he said, taking everyone of the papers from around the table and lining them up accordingly. He had a hunch, but he was hoping it wasn't correct. Who was he kidding though. He never was wrong.

"I thought so." Spencer muttered after frantically lining up the papers next to each other in a particular fashion. The end result was a big portrayal of a Chinese symbol in dark ink.

"What is it?" Garcia breathed, fear apparent in her voice.

"It's the Chinese symbol for harm, kill, murder, suffering, and... evil." Spencer said slowly, looking around at the frightened and angry faces of his team mates. He looked at Evie last whose mouth was slightly agape. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder, wishing they weren't at work so he could just hold her close and kiss her.

"Well then I think it's safe to say..." Hotch started, looking at the symbol. "That someone is out to get this team."

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and reads and follows and favorites! Every single one makes a difference! I'll try to update as soon as possible, thanks for all the support!**


	12. Degrees of Paranoia

**"I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon you doesn't matter - it's only a matter of how much you can take and what it does to you."**

**-Henry Rollins**

Qiqiang Shen feverishly flipped through the pages of his journal, trying to find any spot of paper that was scribbled on. Notes were everywhere, all of them about his new obsession. Qiquang thought about his name, what it meant: enlightenment and strength. He knew from the moment he was old enough to think it; he had to live up to his name. He was destined to discover greatness. He findings were beyond any modern ideals, and yet he was never recognized. Qiqiang had been studying psychology and human behavior for as long as he could remember. His new experiments had resulted in new breakthroughs that he had never heard of before. With his new subjects almost ready for his tests, Shen couldn't be more excited.

The man smiled as he took a handful of tacks. He spread out a new picture on the wall and pushed the pins into the corners to keep it up. The new couple was walking into the glass doors of a giant federal building, hand in hand.

"Dr. Spencer Reid and Miss. Evelyn Lawrence." Qiqiang muttered. He ran his fingers along the picture of them and then took a step back to see the giant wall of over a hundred pictures of every member of the BAU team from Agent Hotchner to Rossi to Morgan to Jareau to Garcia. All seven members... they'd be the optimal test. The "psychology experts" themselves put to the ultimate behavior and strength test. Shen couldn't wait for this to take place. First he had to play around with his little lab rats though. Soon enough they'd be in his grasp though... soon enough...

"Is this really necessary?" Spencer asked while sitting on the couch in Hotch's office. Rossi sighed.

"Come on, Reid. You know how helpful this could be." Rossi told him. Spencer looked over to Evie, hoping she'd take his side. She just shrugged at him. He huffed a sarcastic thanks to her and then turned back to Rossi.

"Alright, fine. I want Evie here though." he said. She smiled from beside him and took Spencer's hand in hers. Rossi had suggested they do a walk through of when Spencer had seen the unsub in JJ's house. He tried to tell him it was pointless. The entire house was bathed in darkness and he barely had gotten a look before the man had turned and ran. He understood that any information was helpful information, but Spencer just thought it was rediculous. He remembered it just as easily now as he would with going back to imagine it.

"Thank you. Now close your eyes." David instructed. Spencer did as he was told and took a deep breath. He leaned back so he was supported by the back of the couch.

"Now imagine yourself entering JJ's kitchen. The house is dark, Evelyn and Henry are in the basement, your gun is raised. Anything you notice?" Rossi asks. Spencer puts himself back into the situation he was just in the night before. It seemed like it was so long ago, a distant memory. He still felt like he was right there in the moment however. He could feel the cracks in the hardwood beneath his socks, he could hear his heavy breathing, he could feel the fear for his loved ones.

"The TV is still on. There isn't any other sound." Reid said plainly.

"Think harder. Come on, Reid." Rossi instructed further. Spencer sighed and mentally rolled his eyes.

"Okay... I heard footsteps coming from the foyer." He said, hearing the footsteps in his head as if they were still there.

"Heavy footsteps, light footsteps?" Rossi pressed on. Reid squeezed Evie's hand a bit tighter, remembering the anxiety within him that night. She ran her thumb along the top of his hand. The small notion was enough to comfort him.

"Not heavy. It sounded like he wasn't too heavy." Spencer recited. "I'm- I'm moving to the foyer." he said, nervously fidgeting his hand in Evie's grip. His breathing became heavier as he got more into the simulation. The thoughts he was having from last night returned. He felt his chest tighten and his eyes dart even with his eyelids being closed. Suddenly he didn't feel like he was in Hotch's office, he was in JJ's house with his Evie and Henry downstairs in danger.

"I- I have to keep them safe." Spencer choked out, squeezing Evie's hand without realizing it.

"Spencer... Spencer listen to me. They're safe, everyone's okay." Rossi told him. Spencer whimpered despite Rossi's voice assuring him.

"Have to- have to protect them. He can't touch them." Reid frantically said.

"Ow... Spence." he heard Evie's voice. It brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes to see he was nearly crushing her delicate hand in his own. He slackened his grip and kissed her cheek.

"Sorry, darling." he whispered. She smiled at the first use of a pet name. He hadn't even noticed he had said it. It just felt natural. Spencer smiled too, earning a groan from Rossi.

"Okay, so once you're done making googly eyes at eachother, may we please proceed?" Dave asked, annoyed. Spencer flinched and looked at him apologetically. He closed his eyes again and rolled his shoulders to relax. This was easy, just don't break Evie's hand.

"Alright so I'm in the foyer. No one is here... I'm about to check the dining room." Spencer said in a low voice.

"Ok, so when does the unsub approach you?" Rossi's voice came.

Hello, Dr. Reid. Spencer immediately heard in his head. The hissing voice, filled with insanity. There was nothing normal about this man, and he knew it as soon as he heard the way he spoke to him. It was menacing... sick.

"Hello, Dr. Reid." Spencer said. "That's what he said."

"How'd he sound?"

"His voice was high but chilling. He said it in a hissing whisper." Spencer informed Rossi.

"Okay... Now move to the part where you turned to face him. This part is important Spencer. We need to know if the Chinese symbol has significance to his heritage." Rossi told him. Spencer nodded and took a deep breath. He saw the outline of the front door in front of him. The outline of the railing next to him and the dining room table in the next room over. He felt the presence of the unsub behind him and felt the gun in his hand. Spencer spun around in his mind to face the silhouette.

"It's too dark, Rossi." Spencer said.

"Look harder."

Spencer sighed. He squinted in his imaginary scenario. The man's face... he could just barely see it. His eyes, his nose, his lips. The shape was just barely visible.

"Yes."

"Yes what, Spencer?"

"Yes, I think he is Chinese." Reid confirmed, opening his eyes to look at Rossi. He looked satisfied enough. Rossi raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"Okay, good job kid." he said, patting Spencer's shoulder. The rest of the day was filled with the team racking their brains for any other abnormalties that they may have missed before. For the most part they came up dry. The team just didn't have enough information. They were stuck. They were stalked.

"It looks like death in here." Morgan said, walking into one of the conference rooms where Spencer was rubbing his temples by a map and the rest of the team were sifting through files of all sorts. They'd fried their brains, going over every possibility. It was just no use. They had no leads on this guy.

"I think, we all need a nice break in this madness." Derek continued, slapping Reid on the back. Spencer groaned and collapsed on the table from the contact. He was just so done. Luckily Evie slipped her hand under his head before his forehead hit the table.

"Don't do that!" she said, making Spencer smirk into the table.

"Sorry, Mom." he said sarcastically. She slipped her hand out from under his head and it hit the table.

"Ow! Evie!"

"Ok, ok. I definitely propose we go to the bar this Saturday again. We obviously need some fun lovin' time." Morgan said, raising his eyebrows. "Especially you two." he added, hitting Spencer in the back of the head playfully.

"JJ! Do you see this abuse!" he complained. JJ threw down her files on the table. The entire day the team was spending in the same room, pretty close... too close. All the bickering and childish messing around was always brought to Jayge. She was looking to be pretty fed up with all of it.

"Okay, I officially agree with Morgan." JJ said, frustration seeping through her voice.

"I don't know... We have a stalker out for our team. Is it wise to be going out to a bar on a Saturday night together?" Hotch asked, looking around the room. The team looked up at each other, exchanging glances. All of their faces said "i know we shouldn't but boy does that sound good".

"I could use a night out." Evie spoke up, raising her hand. All eyes turned to her, causing her to shrink back and bury her face in her arms. Spencer smiled at how shy she was and rubbed her shoulder. Well, he was the boyfriend. He guessed he had to oblige.

"Okay... I'm in." Spencer said. Morgan smirked and made whipping motions and sound effects towards Spencer. Reid frowned in confusion at what he was trying to get across. Everyone else seemed to realize it however. They all laughed, including Evie.

"What?" he asked her. Evie just shook her head and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, Saturday sounds good." Rossi agreed, closing the files in front of him.

"And a special guest may be coming in this weekend!" Garcia added. Reid didn't know how she was still so bubbly after a day of paranoia and looking into dead ends. He wasn't surprised though. That was their Penelope.

"Who?" JJ asked.

"Our little London girl!" Garcia said excitedly, beaming from ear to ear. Spencer raised his eyebrows. Emily? Man, he needed this in the chaos. He missed Prentiss everyday, and now Evie would be able to meet her. Reid was suddenly much more excited for Saturday night to come.

At the end of the long day, Spencer drove Evs back to her apartment. Thank God his car was fixed; he wasn't too keen on getting another one. He'd had his little old blue car for a while now, he wasn't willing to give it up.

Spence and Evie tried to keep it light in their conversation because heaven knew they needed it now more than ever. The inevitable threat from the stalker hadn't left their minds since the break in at JJ's house the other night. The only thing that kept Spencer happy was Evelyn being right there beside him for most of the day.

"I'll walk you up. I don't want anything to happen." Spencer said after he parked his car outside her complex. Evie sighed and squeezed his hand before he got out.

"Spencer. You don't think you're being a little paranoid?"

"Yes, I am being paranoid! Better safe than sorry!" he said, obviously worked up over the matter. He was not going to let another girlfriend get shot in front of him... or at all for that matter. He couldn't let the best thing in his life be taken away. He felt it his job to protect Evie.

"Ok, ok!" Evie defended. She opened her door and stepped out right as Spencer did. He watched her as she pulled her coat closed around her, hair spilling down the top of her back. She was oblivious to how Reid had stopped to observe her. Sometimes he'd do this just to appreciate her. She was beautiful, inside and out. He couldn't help it. She was becoming so precious to him. Reid couldn't let her be hurt. Having to leave her alone each day after work was unsettling. He wasn't sure he could keep this up.

"You coming?" she asked, finally turning to see what the hold up was. Evie wrinkled her nose when she realized he was watching her. "What?"

Spencer took a deep breath and stepped up onto the sidewalk to walk up to her. He knew he was taking a wayyyyy big step from where they were in the relationship, but under the circumstances Reid thought it felt right.

"Evie, I- With everything going on, I'm worried. And we've only been dating for two weeks, two days, four hours, and three minutes, but under circumstances..." Spencer faded off, trying to think of the right way to word this. He caught a flash of color out of the corner of his eye and got an idea.

"Wait, close your eyes." He said. She chuckled and shrugged as she did what she was told. Spencer made sure she wasn't looking and waved a hand in front of her face before moving towards the front of the apartment building where a few flowers still lived. He picked a few, last minute. It would have to do since it was a spur of the moment sort of situation. Spencer turned back to his girlfriend and kneeled on the sidewalk in front of her, taking a deep breath before saying, "Okay, open."

Evie did what she was told, her gray eyes studying how Spencer kneeled in front of her with the flowers. She covered her mouth in surprise that was all smiles. Her eyes lightened at the sight of him smiling up at her, even if it was a last minute thrown together gesture.

"Evelyn Charlotte Lawrence, will you move in with me? I mean... just until this is over. Unless, i don't know... maybe... forever?" he asked nervously, hoping she'd feel as ready as he did to wake up together every morning and fall asleep in eachother's arms. Maybe they were moving faster than usual, but Spencer was surprisingly sure about this.

"Yes!" she finally managed to choke out. Spencer felt his body relax until Evie threw her arms around his neck and tackled him to the ground. Reid was pushed down onto his back on the sidewalk, Evie on top of him. He craned his head back to make sure that no one was by them. When he realized the coast was clear, he put a hand on the side of her face and pulled her in for a kiss. Evelyn smiled and gladly went along with it, keeping the kiss innocently sweet but passionate. It made Spencer's day.

"So what about I help you move your stuff on Saturday?" Reid asked, pushing himself up into standing position and then leaning down to help Evie up as well. She brushed off her coat and then wrapped her arms around Spence's chest.

"That sounds lovely." she said with emphasis on lovely. Spencer chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

4 days later, Spencer helped Evie get all of her packed boxes into his car. She didn't have a lot to take with her besides clothes, drawings, and make-up, so it only took one trip. She was beaming the entire time which made Spence happy. He had to admit, he was bursting with just as much excitement. A few weeks ago, he'd never have guessed that Evie would be moving in as his girlfriend. He'd think someone was crazy if they told him he'd end up here. He wouldn't rather be anywhere else, however.

"Ok, so where do you want all your drawings?" Spencer asked, flipping through some of the loose papers full of pencil in a big box marked 'Sketches'. Evie looked up from where she was putting clothes in empty drawers of Spencer's dresser and shrugged.

"I don't know. Where's a good place?"

"Mmm..." Spencer thought. "Well we aren't putting them away. I definitely want them out in the open." he said. Evie snorted in amusement and walked over to Spencer on her knees. She kissed his cheek and nuzzled her face into his neck.

"That's sweet, baby. But honestly, we can just put them in a drawer." she said, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck with her fingers. Spencer sighed and leaned into her touch, closing his eyes. She had complete control of him whenever she played with his hair. He never knew he liked it so much.

"Nope. Out of discussion. We can hang them all over the study. There's a lot of good lighting and empty wall space in there." he said, opening his eyes and pouting at Evie when she ceased the playing of his hair and returned to unpacking.

"Alright, alright!" she laughed. Spencer stood and picked up the box to put it on the dresser. He'd get to hanging up all of them later. There was still a lot of clothes to unpack. He didn't realize how much clothes a typical woman had. Luckily he had space cleared out just for her.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Evie's voice breathed. Spencer whipped around to face her, expecting the worst. Stalker? Killer? Break-in? What Spencer found was much worse though. Evie had found an old picture stuffed under Reid's dresser. It was of Spencer when he was younger. He could never bring himself to throw it away since his mother had loved the picture, but he didn't like it either. He looked even geekier when he was that age... if it was possible.

"You were the cutest thing I've ever seen." Evie squeeled, observing the picture closely. Spencer chuckled.

"I was?" he asked. Evie looked up at him and gently hit his leg.

"Oh, you still are. You know what I meant." she joked. Spencer grimaced at the picture. He started to inch forwards, moving behind Evie so she didn't see his advancements. Once he knew he was close enough, Reid leaned over and snatched the picture out of Evie's hand at the last second when she wasn't expecting it. She turned with an appauled look on her face and tried to reach up to grab the picture back, but Spencer held it high in the air.

"Gonna have to be quicker than that, Evs." he said, bolting out the bedroom door, picture in hand. He heard her call his name as she stood and ran after him, chasing Spencer around the kitchen. He wondered if every day living with her would be like this. He'd like that.


	13. Drinks and Statistics

**"Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination."**

**-Vin Scully**

The day had been filled with unpacking, unpacking, and more unpacking. Everything was finsihed up by around 5:30 which gave Evie and Spencer about an hour and fifteen minutes to get ready. Evelyn stood in Spencer's... or rather her and Spencer's bathroom... and straightened her hair. She decided she wasn't up for going all out and spending time on getting perfect curls, so she flattened out the curls she did already have at the very end of her hair strands. She wasn't sure of what she'd wear tonight to the bar with the team so she just wore her tight tank top and extremely short soft shorts that she only wore when she was alone at home. It was strange thinking of this new place with Spencer as her new home. It wasn't a bad strange, but a really good strange. It was just a concept that she thought was too good to be true.

"Mmmm..." Spencer hummed, coming up behind Evie in the bathroom so that she could see him in the mirror. He put his hands on her hips and pulled himself close to her as gently as possible, watching her do her hair in the mirror. She gave him a small smile before returned her attention to sliding her hair through the prongs of the straightener. Spencer leaned down and nuzzled his face into her neck on the side of her head where she wasn't currently using the straightner. He kissed her shoulder lightly, blowing hot breath down her back. Evie shivered and felt butterflies stir in her stomach. She had been noticing more tension between them lately. Not the bad kind of tension but the attraction kind of tension. The way they held eachother and kissed and were starting to become more comfortable being close to eachother... They began to want eachother more and more. And by want she meant want. Yes, Spencer was still his unsure and shy self around the topic most of the time, but Evie always led him in the physical aspect since she had had a serious relationship before.

Anyway, the way Spencer was kissing her neck ever so lightly with feather touches and warm breaths was driving her insane. She realized her breathing was picking up and the hand holding her straightner was subconciously lowering. All of her attention was now diverted to the way Spencer was lazily pressing his lips over her shoulder, neck, and jawline. Evie surpressed the urge to moan, and rather leaned further back into Spence, letting him take over.

"Spence. How am I going to do my make-up with you distracting me like that?" Evie joked, looking at themselves in the mirror. Reid just groaned into her neck and wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. He ceased his kissing and just laid his head on her shoulder. Evie smiled while watching his eyes close. His breathing continuted to travel down her neck and back, making it hard to concentrate still. She most definitely would take the distraction over not having Spencer there at all, however. She opened her make-up bag on the counter and started trying to apply it without moving enough to disturb Spencer. After a few minutes, she realized that his breathing had slowed.

"Are you sleeping standing up like that?" Evie asked, chuckling slightly. Spencer did feel like a dead weight lying on her back with his head nestled in her shoulder. He hand't opened his eyes since he closed them.

"Horses are able to sleep standing up because a stay apparatus in their legs allows them to relax their muscles and doze without collapsing." Spencer mumbled into her skin. Evie rolled her eyes.

"You aren't a horse, sweetheart."

"Mmm..." he hummed again, staying still against her body. Evie finished up the rest of her make-up and stroked Spencer's hair.

"Why are you so tired?" she asked gently.

"I didn't have coffee today."

"Well I'm sure Morgan will get some drinks in your system. Come on." she said softly as if to a delicate child. She turned and wrapped her arms around Spence, leading him into the bedroom and sitting him on the bed. His eyes still drooped tiredly and he moved sluggishly, not fully awake. Evie kissed his forehead and fiddled with the first button of his shirt.

Spencer was half awake when Evie sat him on the bed. He didn't even bother to try to stay awake until he felt her unbuttoning his shirt. He knew she was getting him ready for going to the bar since he had no motivation to do it himself, the notion still sent shivers down his spine though. Evie continuted onto the next button, and then the next, then the next, until his shirt was completely open, revealing his chest. At this point Spencer was intently watching Evie, even if her eyes were trailing up and down his chest. She slid his shirt of his shoulders, leaving Spencer completely shirtless at this point. He bit his lip and blushed nervously, but didn't do anything to stop her. He didn't want to.

Evie went even further and leaned in to gently kiss his collarbone, just as softly as he did to her neck a few minutes ago. Spencer felt himself breathing hard when she traced her lips along his shoulders. He had never felt like this before. A warmth stirred within him and he found himself wanting more and more of Evie. Spencer knew that truthfully, it was probably too early for them to go 'all the way'. Morgan always annoyed Spencer with his brotherly talks and advice about girls. That included sex as well. Now Reid was wishing he had listened more.

"So now you're awake?" Evie laughed, watching Spencer's eyes roll back at the contact she was giving him. He smiled lazily and nodded, pulling Evie in against his chest. She lied there, pressing her torso against him and binding him in her arms as well in a tight hug. When she pulled away, Evie got up off the bed and walked over to Spencer's closet, still leaving him breathless. He still felt her lips on his chest and her breath on his neck. He wished to have it again.

She came back with a tight v-neck shirt and dark jeans. Spencer frowned at her.

"Where'd you find that? I didn't even know I owned clothes like that." he said, surprised at his very... "Morgan-looking" clothes.

"Yeah, neither did I." she said, undoing the tie of his sweat pants. Spencer watched her do so. She was so casual about it, and he probably should be too. It wasn't like she was planning anything, but once down to his boxers he still felt his heart race and his face heat up. He loved when she took care of him though. Spencer wouldn't admit he sometimes liked the babying from Evie however.

She slid the shirt over his head and pulled it over his torso.

"I feel like your personal doll." Spencer muttered, making Evie smile. She kissed his nose and ran her hand through his hair.

"You are my doll. Here." she said, throwing the jeans at him to pull on. Spencer watched Evie go slip on wedges from the bottom of their closet. He studied each strand of her beautiful hair, the way she moved, her perfect curves...

"I can feel you watching." she said. Spencer chuckled and pulled on his jeans. Suddenly he wasn't so tired.

"There he is!" Spencer instantly heard as soon as he entered the dark bar. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Emily Prentiss had her arms wrapped around him. Spencer smiled and leaned his head into her shoulder, taking her in his arms as well. She squeezed him and rubbed his back before stepping back and beaming up at him.

"Look at you! All grown up." Emily grinned, messing his hair. Spencer reached up to straighten it out again.

"It hasn't been that long, Em." he smiled. He glanced over at Evie who was raising her eyebrows at him, waiting for an introduction.

"This is Evelyn, by the way. She's the new intern." Spencer introduced. Emily smiled and shook Evie's hand with a gleam in her eye.

"Ah, also known as baby boy's first real girlfriend. It's so nice to meet you." Prentiss greeted. Evie laughed at her introduction and shook her hand back.

"You can call me Evie if you'd like. And yes, that'd be me." she said, nudging Spencer in the ribs, making him shy away. He was always ticklish there. Unfortunately she had noticed and looked at him with a wicked gleam in her eye. He had a feeling she was going to use this advantage over him sometime soon.

"Everyone's over by the bar." JJ said from behind Prentiss. "You two are looking most lovely, by the way." she added, looking Evie and Spencer up and down. Evie was in a deep blue tight fitting dress with a low cut back. It barely reached mid thigh and was driving Spencer insane. Why was he feeling so strongly tonight? He hadn't ever felt this kind of tension towards a girl. Sure he was definitely into the whole Lila make-out session in the pool, but he never wanted to go any further. Not to mention, it wasn't a real relationship. Now that he had such a beautiful girlfriend that was all his, he couldn't help but notice the amount of skin she was showing.

"Woah, did Evie dress you?" Morgan asked when Spencer came around to sit on the stool next to him. The girls had already surrounded Evie and were asking her millions of questions about Spencer and how living in his apartment was. He had only told JJ about it the other day at work, but once one of his team members knew something, the whole entire team knew.

"How'd you guess?" Spencer asked him genuinely. Morgan snickered and clapped a hand on his shoulder but didn't answer. Instead he called the bar tender over and ordered them both a drink. Spencer couldn't help but keep stealing glances at Evie. She was just absolutely gorgeous, a goddess. Sometimes she'd be looking over at him at the same time and they'd smile at eachother. How did he get so lucky?

Morgan and Reid talked for a bit. Spencer didn't even notice that every time he finished a drink, a new one showed up, courtesy of Morgan. Derek did a good job of keeping him distracted with question after question about Evie. He, like the rest of the team, was so excited about their 'baby Spencer's' new girlfriend.

"So did you sleep together?"

Reid nearly choked on his drink. He set it down and coughed a few times before frowning up at Morgan.

"What the hell, Morgan?" he asked in a high voice. Despite being caught of guard, he smiled at his friend's bluntness. Spencer sighed and took another sip.

"So you did?"

"No! What? No! It's only been nearly three weeks! She just moved in today!" Spencer defended with a slight chuckle. Morgan studied his face with dark eyes. Spencer fidgeted uncomfortably, knowing Morgan was analyzing him. He looked up at his coworker.

"What?"

"You're beginning to want to... aren't you?" Derek asked, a knowing smile spreading across his lips. Spencer blushed and shrugged, running his finger along the rim of his fourth drink yet. Derek slapped his back yet again.

"The time will come when you both are ready, Pretty Boy." Morgan told him, pushing another drink his way. Spencer thought about this. He knew Evie had more experience than he did. He wasn't completely blind to the subject, but still... He wanted everything to be perfect for her. His mind swarmed with thoughts while he took another swig of vodka, starting to feel a bit dizzy. He then realized something while putting his glass back down. He frowned at Morgan.

"How many drinks did I just have?"

Evie laughed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. She had come to love Emily just as much as JJ and Garcia. The four of them were laughing about different things Morgan and Garcia flirted to eachother with. The stories they had to tell had Evie giggling all night practically. She was glad that she applied for the internship with the BAU, seeing where it had gotten her. She didn't know she'd come to know such a friendly tightly knit family.

"I see so many lights." Evie heard a familiar slurred voice from behind her. Arms wrapped securely around her waist and she felt the same warm breath that she loved on her neck.

"What's that, sweetheart?" she asked, turning to see Spencer stumbling into her from behind. He burried his face in her hair and ran a hand over her open back. She shivered at the contact and turned to face him. He immediately pressed his forehead to hears and nudged her nose with his.

"You're- You're my Evie." he stuttered, eyes droopy. Evie could smell alcohol on him. She glanced over to see that the girls had raised their eyebrows at the couple, but then had given them privacy and carried on with conversation.

"Are you drunk, baby?" She asked, setting her own drink down on the bar next to her. Ever since moving in with Spencer, she'd let herself get into the relationship more. She let herself imagine them with a future. She let go of the fear of being hurt and just let herself love him. It felt like a bunch of weights lifted off her chest.

"Um..." Spencer thought about it, scrunching his face up in thought. "Repeat the question?" he asked, smiling dopily at Evie. She laughed and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. Spencer closed his eyes and moved his hands to her hip, gently caressing them in her tight dress.

"Spence... We're in the middle of a busy bar." Evie reminded him, a bit amused. Reid groaned and stilled his hands, gently tugging her hips forward.

"Evs..." he whined, turning puppy dog eyes to her. She looked into his chocolate brown orbs, seeing desperate desire from deep inside his widened pupils. She knew he'd been drinking. She'd never seen him act like this. It wasn't so much a bad thing though. She kind of liked it. He let go and was quite amusing.

"Come here." she gave in, grabbing his hand and leading a stumbling Spencer to a dark corner where no one stood. He lazily smiled and let her back him against a wall. Evie's face was but inches from his. She reached up and smooth down his unruly hair and smiled fondly at how desperately he watched her. She kept hold of his eyes in her own and ran her fingers along the hem of his shirt. She watched his eyes get wider as she moved her hand under his shirt and barely grazed up the soft skin of his stomach and chest. Spencer closed his eyes and let her softly scrape her nails across his back. Evelyn felt him shiver and heard his breathing pick up. She kept this up for a couple minutes until Spencer was nearly shaking in anticipation.

"Not in public, Spence." she smirked, tapping his chest to bring him back to reality. She heard Reid whine in dissappointment and felt his eyes boring into the back of her head while she began to walk back towards the girls. Evie chuckled to herself, knowing the state she left him in. As much as she wanted it too, she enjoyed playing with Spencer. Apparently he didn't have similar thoughts.

Before Evie could take more than a couple of steps, familiar arms wrapped around her and picked her clean up off the floor. Reid kissed her cheek and hurriedly carried her through the doors of a room marked 'Employees Only'. She was about to protest when she realized she wanted this too. She wanted to be alone with Spence, she wanted to feel his lips against hers, and maybe more. She had a wonderful boyfriend. She should enjoy every moment she has with him.

Evie felt her back being pressed up again the wall... hard. There were shelves of plates and boxes of napkins and other supplies the typical bar might need. The room was dark, save for the light from streetlights outside filtering in from the small window on the far side of the room. Luckily, it seemed that no one was in here. Spencer didn't seem to even check as he pressed himself against Evie and pinned her to the wall, picking her up to wrap her legs around his waist.

The last thing Evie had expected was for Spencer to stop, completley haulting the moment. She frowned at him, his face only two inches from hers. She could feel his heavy breathing and how heavy his body fell against hers. He looked into her eyes with a questioning gaze... he was dead drunk and still had the decency to ask her for permission. Evie smiled at his and stroked his hair.

"It's ok, Spence." she whispered. That was all he needed before he grinned shyly, then attacked her lips with his. She wove her fingers through his soft fluffy hair with one hand and laid a hand on his chest with the other. She moved it down to feel all the muscles of his stomach. As Garcia had told her, Spencer had actually become pretty toned in his time with the FBI. Garcia had compared him to a walking tooth pick when describing how he was a couple years ago.

Once she was no longer satisfied with feeling through his shirt, she started fiddling with the hem. Spencer continued at her lips, moving his in synchronization. The only thing keeping her propped against the wall was her legs wrapped around his waist and his body pressed against hers. Evie felt his tongue graze her bottom lip so she let him in, their kiss growing more passionate and hungy. She had never seen Spencer like this. His eyes seemed to have grown three shades darker with intensity. He had his mind set, all nervousness aside. She liked it.

Soon enough, nothing was left of Spencer's shirt. Evie had pulled it over his head and thrown it aside, making an adorable mess of his hair, just adding to his flustered look. Evie moved her hand down his bare chest, smirking at how he shivered and goosebumps appeared across his skin. She felt every faint outline of muscle and every soft but firm area of skin all over his chest and abdomen all the while their tongues fighting for dominance. As she was doing this, Spencer was slowly moving his hands up her smooth thighs towards the bottom of her dress. When he reached the hem, Reid pushed up her dress to be even shorter than it already was, nearly up to her hips. She didn't at all mind though.

Without warning, Spencer grabbed her hips and pulled them hard against his. Evie couldn't hold back as a moan escaped her lips, feeling Spencer through his jeans. She was frantically feeling him all over, gently scraping her nails across his bare back and exploring his mouth with her tongue, and Spencer continued to grip her hips and move her dress up even higher. His hips moved away from hers so he could better deepen the kiss, but the lack if contact made Evie want it all the more.

It wasn't until Evs tightened her legs around Spencer's waist to begin grinding her own against his when he broke his mouth away from hers. Their heavy panting filled the air and only got more intense when Evie continued her hips moving against his own. Spencer groaned, sending a burning feeling through the pit of Evie's stomach. She longed to feel every inch of Spencer's body. He dominated her thoughts completely. Everything she thought, she smelled she tasted and felt... It was all Spencer.

Reid buried his face in Evie's neck, occasionally moaning. He was completely engaged in her as much as she was with him. Evie smirked while continuing to grind against him.

"You've never felt like this, have you?" Evie asked while feeling Spencer's heavy breathing on her neck. He let out a shaky breath and shook his head.

"I mean, I understand all the biology of it but it's not the-" Reid gasped mid sentence when Evs moved her waist exactly in the right place, feeling him even more through his jeans. "-same."

Spencer wasn't even attempting to hide his sound effects now once he began gently nipping her neck. This time it was Evie's turn to groan, pushing her fingers through his hair and pulling him in deeper. Spencer kissed her neck harder, soon starting to gently suck on her soft skin. Evie couldn't remember the last time she felt this good.

"I like when you're drunk." Evie said through panting. Reid gently bit her neck, creating another groan from Evie.

"I'm not drunk!" he protested, slurring his words. Evie rolled her eyes and gently touched her fingers to his chin, bringing his lips back up to hers, eventually trailing kisses down to his jawline.

"I-um... I..." Spencer began to stutter, his eyes fluttering closed in pleasure while Evie moved to his neck, instantly sucking on his skin. She didn't let him talk, her kissing and sucking getting more and more hungry. Spencer groaned, his back arching.

Suddenly the doors burst open and the loud chatter and music of the bar filled the room. Spencer acted quickly, setting Evie down on the floor and pushing their backs flat against the wall so that they were hidden behind a shelf from the entrance. Through boxes of materials, Evie could see someone in an employees uniform step in and walk to the closest shelf. The woman took a few glasses in her arms, holding as many as she could without them over flowing. The sudden snap back into reality had Evie's heart pounding. She tried to get her breathing down, but it wasn't working. She could hear Spencer's loud and clear from besides her as well. At least she still had her dress on, Spencer's shirt was still sprawled across the middle of the floor. Evelyn closed her eyes and prayed that the woman wouldn't find it. No doubt they may be kicked out.

Finally, the woman pushed the swinging door back open and stepped out into the dim bar lights once more. Spencer and Evie both let out a relieved breath and smiled at each other.

"We've got to get out of here." she said, going to kneel and pick up his shirt to give to Reid. He thanked her and hurried to pull it back over his head, missing the opening more than a couple of times. Evelyn would've been worried about how it messed up his hair, but she didn't think it couldn't get anymore ruffled. It was sticking up everywhere, a few strands falling over his eyes. She smirked while smoothing down her own hair, earning a confused look from Spence.

They finished their last minute fixes on each other and then eased out of the room and back into the bar holding hands like nothing had ever happened. It did though, something did happen. The memories and feelings still raced through Evie's mind, making her stomach flutter. Did she really just do that? A couple weeks ago, she would've never done something so crazy. Love did strange things to her. She liked it.

"I'm going to go fix my make-up." Evie said as they walked towards their team members who were conversing around a table holding their drinks, pulling Spence along with her like a leashed puppy. He started walking the wrong way, but she lightly tugged on his arm, guiding him in the right direction. She needed to get him home soon. She wasn't too sure if keeping a drunk Spencer out for long was a good idea.

Reid looked at her and chuckled. He pulled her hand back to halt her from advancing and ran his hand through the ends of her hair, taking out the tangles.

"Thanks. You might want to work on yours." she said, making him smile. Spencer leaned down and kissed her forehead, stumbling a bit. Evie grabbed onto his forearms to catch her tipsy boyfriend. She smiled, feeling the warmth of his lips on her skin, wishing to feel more.

"We can- we can find another place. A dark place. Reallllly dark..." Spencer stumbled over his words, making Evie laugh.

"As much as I loved that, our boss is here Spence. I don't think it'll look great if we're escorted out of the bar with half of our clothes on." Spencer whined and gave Evie a hug before he pulled away and began walking towards Morgan so Evie turned and walked towards JJ, Emily, and Garcia.

"Hey! Where were you?" Emily asked, midlaugh from something Garcia had just said. Evie opened her mouth to try and dodge the question when Garcia added in.

"Yeah! And why was Spencer missing at the same time?" She wiggled her eyebrows at Evie, making them all laugh.

"Um... First, do you have any concealer in your purse, Jayge?" Evie asked. JJ set down her drink and frowned at Evie through her blond strands that were beginning to come undone from her hair clip.

"Yeah, yeah. I thought-" JJ faded off. Her eyes moved to Evie's neck and her eyes windened. Her mouth fell open a short laugh of pure surprise escaped. "Oh my god... Is that from Spencer?" she asked in disbelief, reaching forward to move Evie's hair from her neck. She couldn't see her own neck obviously, but the way Spencer was kissing her, she knew that there just had to be marks all over her neck.

"Will you help me?" Evie asked, blushing a bit but smiling despite herself. The situation was a bit rediculously funny.

"Oh, honey. You don't understand. We never thought this day would come for our boy genius!" Garcia said, taking her turn in examining Evie's neck. She blushed harder and moved her hair back to cover up the hickies.

"Ok, ok. Stop observing the girl like she's a zoo exhibit. Let's go cover those up." Prentiss said, trying not to laugh. Evie thanked her appreciatively. They all located the bathroom and made their way there as fast as they could in heels and drinks in their systems. As awkward as Evie felt, she knew she could trust them with anything. She did find it funny as well. Who knew Dr. Spencer Reid was capable of what just happened? Evie shook the feeling of wanting to explode in excitement and took a deep breath. There wasn't a day since they had started dating where she hadn't felt like the luckiest girl on Earth.

"Are you going to tell me why you look like you've been through a tornado?" Morgan asked, his eyes gleaming at Reid with amusement. Spencer frowned and then leaned back to look at his reflection in the glass of a dark window on the closest wall. He could see what Derek was talking about. His hair was... everywhere. His shirt nearly hanging off one shoulder and crumpled beyond compare. The worse part was his neck, where spots were starting to form where Evie had paid... "extra attention" to.

"Uh..." Reid stalled, brushing the hair out of his face and straightening his shirt.

"My man! Are those what I think they are!" Morgan boomed, pointing at his neck. Reid stepped away from Morgan and scowled. He reached for his jacket on the chair and put it on, pulling up the collar to cover his neck. Morgan was speechless... Absolutely speechless. His big goofy grin would usually get an eye roll from Reid, but the alcohol running through him made Spence feel a little off. The room was beginning to spin. He wasn't sure if it was from what had just happened with him and Evie or the alcohol that he had consumed.

"Can you keep your voice down?" he asked, words slurring.

"So that's where you were!" Morgan laughed. Spencer squinted against the lights that were suddenly feeling more bright. The situation just got really funny all of the sudden.

"Yeah..." he said, trying to hold back chuckled. It didn't much work. Spencer stumbled back a bit, giggling like an idiot. Morgan grabbed his arm to steady Spence.

"Alright. Maybe I shouldn't have given you that much." he chuckled. His face was only a blur though, mixed in with the rest of the crowd.

"I- um... I love her, Morgan." Reid slurred and then chuckled. Morgan clapped a hand on his back, nearly knocking over Spencer in his vulnerable state.

"I'm proud of you, kid. Really." Derek said sincerely.

"Aw..." Spencer said, sloppily wrapping an arm around Morgan's shoulders. His friend grunted from Reid lying all of his weight on him. He held him up pretty well though, pulling Reid towards a chair.

"Alright, Pretty boy. I think it's almost time for you to head home."

Half an hour later, Evie and Spencer had said goodbye to Garcia, Morgan, and Emily who were the last ones left at the bar. Spencer begged her not to leave, but she reminded him that they were going home to the same apartment and suddenly he was fine with the idea. She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and half led half dragged him out of the bar and to the car. She was glad that she hadn't drinken a lot. Obviously, Spencer wasn't too capable of being the driver tonight.

Once Spencer and Evie got home, he tried to insist about anything he could think of. First he wanted to go to another bar, then for a walk in the park, then to go see a movie. The fact that it was around midnight didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Did you know fifty percent of lost remotes are found in between couch cushions?" Spencer asked, giggling and looking at his remote. Evie took his arm and tried to lug him off the couch, but he wasn't cooperating.

"No, I didn't baby. Come on, let's get ready for bed."

"That was forward!"

"Not that kind of 'bed', genius." Evie chuckled. Spencer snorted in amusement with himself.

"Oh... Well um... four percent turn up in the fridge." he continued, finally letting Evie drag him to the bedroom, smothering her all the way. He wrapped his arms around her waist protectively and wouldn't let go. When she tried to sit him down on the bed, he only pulled her with him onto his lap.

"Speeeencerrrr." she cooed. "Let me get you clothes to sleep in." She tried to convince him lightly. He burried his face into her neck and hair from behind and groaned.

"8 percent of internet users do not use email or search engines." he mumbled. Evie sighed, feeling defeated. Getting an idea, she felt for Spencer's ribs and tazed him right underneath with two fingers.

"Ah! Evie!" he said, cowering away. She jumped off his lap and kissed his cheek before going to the dresser to get him pajama pants.

"You're going to be a mess tomorrow, Spence. You need your sleep."

She turned to find him pouting at her childishly. He seemed to digress twenty years back when he got drunk. Evie ignored his cute pouting and tugged his shirt.

"Arms up." she said. Spencer obliged so that she could raise his shirt over his head and slide it off. He kept spitting out facts and statistics as she undressed him and then dressed him again. It was difficult when he wouldn't stop kissing her collarbone as well.

"Spencer, please stay still!" Evie laughed as he persistantly nudged his face into her neck and kissed it all over while she was trying undoe the button of his jeans. He smiled, probably knowing how much she actually didn't want him to stop. It took a while, but eventually Evie got him dressed and ready for bed.

"Americans typically spend one hour and fourteen minutes eating each day." Spencer said, trying to pull Evie into a hug again. She held his arms back and kissed him lightly on the lips before he could. She left him there with a longing look on his face. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and hold her drunk Spence in her arms until he fell asleep. She kicked off her shoes and grabbed one of Spencer's shirts and moved into the bathroom to get ready. She heard him mindlessly mumbling through the door, making her smile to herself. She loved him.

"Evs!"

"Yeah?" she asked, stepping out of the bathroom in one of his long tee shirts. He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"I- I missed you." he said, looking at her in his clothes. "You look nice." he added. Evie smirked and threw her dress into the hamper in their closet.

"I missed you too. The whole two minutes that I was changing." she said. Spencer sat up on the bed with crossed legs and reached out for her. Evie smiled and took in the visual of him completely tipsy and cuddly on the bed, waiting for her to walk into his arms. She did, earning a satisfying hum from within Spencer's chest. She savored the sound, feeling warmth through her body.

"I'm not tired." Spencer said suddenly. "Let's go do something." Evie sighed and wiggled out of his grasp. She got an idea and headed out of the room. Spencer kept mumbling her name, but she continued until she got to the closest bookcase. Pulling out a leather bounded book, Evelyn made her way back to the room. She remembered Spencer telling her about his mom always reading to him when he was young. It was worth a shot.

"What- whatcha doin?" he asked, frowning at the book. Evie was quiet and crawled into bed on the side nearest the door. Spencer looked at her expecantly, waiting for something to happen. Evie lifted up the blankets on his side of the bed and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Go on." she said. Spencer looked like he was about to argue, but got under the covers next to her. His head was immediately burried in her neck and his arms binded around her torso. He tangled his legs with hers, pulling his body as close as he possibly could against hers. He instantly went for her lips, softly kissing her and pulling her body as close as possible. Evie smiled into the kiss and pushed her fingers through his touseled hair, pulling Spence in deeper. It didn't take long for it to grow heated, tongue becoming included. Evie turned to face Spencer so that she could wrap a leg around his waist, pulling their hips together and making him groan. After a few second however, he pulled back.

"Um... As much as I- I uh... want you, I don't want our first time to uh... be when I'm drunk." he stuttered out, blushing. Evie smiled and felt the familiar warming feeling rise in her chest. She was overcome with how sweet he was. And he was hers... Evie felt she was in a dream, a really good dream.

"Even when you're drunk, you're a gentleman." she said, kissing his nose. Spencer dopily smiled and nuzzled himself into her neck once more.

At least Spencer was finally quieting down with his statistics. Evie hoped it was because he was growing tired. She situated herself against her pillow and opened the book and began reading to him, feeling Spencer smile into her neck. She loved this. She loved going home to the same home as Spencer. She loved lying in bed with him, entwining themselves into eachother. She loved his breath on her skin, his weight on her shoulder, his hair brushing up again her face.

Reid's breathing grew slower and slower with each page she read. After ten minutes of reading, Evie tried to see if Spencer was sleeping. His face was too hidden in her neck to see, so she whispered his name.

"Spence?" she called as quietly as she could. He didn't answer. He didn't even stir. Evie smiled to herself and gently brushed her hands through his unruly hair. With one last kiss on the top of his head, she turned off the light on her nightstand next to her and carefully lowered herself and Spencer so they were fully lying down, Spencer still on top of her. Just before Evie was about to fall asleep, she heard Reid mumble something.

"I love you, Ev." his voice said. She sighed happily and rubbed his back.

"I love you too, Spence."


	14. Adding Color to the Sunset Sky

**"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."**

**-Rabindranath Tagore**

Spencer Reid woke up feeling like his head was about to split in two. The small amount of sunlight filtering in through his curtains was nearly blinding him, and his head was starting to throb. Spence groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to remember what had happened the other night. He knew he had drank wayyyy to much, thanks to Morgan. Soon it hit him what had happened. Had him and Evie really done that, or was it just a really good dream?

Reid pushed himself up, grunting in pain at the feeling of his head about to explode. He leaned over to see himself on the mirror on the wall and examined his neck. There were still marks everywhere where Evie had nipped and kissed at his skin. Spencer smiled to himself while rubbing his temples in attempt to rid of the headache.

Speaking of Evie, where was she? Spencer glanced beside him to see an empty tangle of sheets. He sighed in disappointment. He'd love to just cuddle up to her and fall asleep again, hoping to sleep off his headache. Evie was more important though.

Reid began to stand up, pushing himself off the bed with everything he had. His head pounded in protest, sending Spence back down onto the comfort of his bed. He groaned and buried his face in his pillow away from the light once more. He wrapped his arms around the pillow and curled up, continuing to moan with each wave of pain.

"Shhhh..." he heard Evie's voice approach him and sit on the edge of the bed next to him. He felt her run her fingers through his hair as he continued to nuzzle his face into his pillow.

"Come here." Evie said, keeping her voice low to Spencer's appreciation. He turned his head to look up at her through tired eyes. She broke into a small smile and leaned down to kiss his nose, sending warmth throughout his body. Spencer couldn't help but smile back.

"Morning." he mumbled, turning on his side to face her.

"Not for some poeple." she responded, a small smile still playing on her lips. Evie held out a glass of water and two tablets in her hand. Obviously she was expecting Spencer's hurt this morning. Anyone could've guessed it. Spencer sat up a bit and took the tablets, swallowing them down will a swig of water. He thanked her and set the glass down on the night stand, cringing at the noise it made.

"How bad is it?" Evs asked him, running her thumb over the top of his hand. Spencer squeezed his eyes shut as another pang of pain coarsed through his head. Reid swore under his breath and allowed himself to fall in Evie's lap, his head on her legs. "I already made you breakfast and tea. Why don't you go lie down on the couch?" she soothed, brushing her fingertips lightly against his cheekbone. Spencer sighed happily. Never in his life had he ever felt so loved nor so in love.

"Have I ever told you that you are the best?" he asked, turning to glance up at her gorgeous gray eyes. Evie blushed a bit and chuckled.

"Yes, repeatedly. I don't mind hearing it again, though." she said. Spencer nodded into her lap.

"Good."

For the rest of day, Spencer watched Dr. Who reruns and curled up on the couch. Evie never left his side, despite the fact that the reason he was hurting so much was that he had been completely and utterly wasted the night before. He never wanted to do that again. The next day was just too rough.

"Thanks, love." Reid said as Evie set down another cup of tea on the coffee table in front of him. Her brown hair fell over her shoulder as she did, leaving Spencer time to admire it. Sometimes he'd appreciate the most random things about her the most random times. Her eyes, her hair, her lips, the way she put others before herself, her voice, etcetera, etcetera. The sound of Christopher Eccleston continued on the TV behind Evie, but whenever she came in the room it always took a backseat to Spencer's attention.

"You know, you don't have to care for me like this, Evs." he said, tilting his head to examine her. Evie rolled her eyes.

"And I don't have to be your girlfriend, but I'd more than love to." she said, feeling Spence's forehead. He bit his lip and smiled, his brown eyes flickering up to hers.

"I do love you, you know. I wasn't just saying that on account for my intoxication." Reid whispered, watching Evie look fondly at every feature of his face. Spencer raised his eyebrows at her, smiling shyly. She chuckled and brushed the hair from his forehead. Without saying anything, she put her hands on his shoulders and turned Spencer onto his back. He frowned in confusion at her but letting her do as she pleased. Evie seemed pretty content as she laced her fingers in his and spread out his arms, leaving his chest vulnerable. She climbed on top of him, tangling her legs in his and lying down on his chest. Spencer hummed happily and secured his arms around her back tightly, pulling her chest to his.

"I love you too, genius." she whispered in his ear, making Spencer strangely aroused. His head still throbbed though, so he guessed he could save that stuff for another time. He nestled his face into her hair, taking in the smell of her 'Eucalyptus Mint and Rain' shampoo that he loved. "Don't ever leave me, okay?" she whispered, looking up into his eyes, half of her face pressed into his chest. Spencer tightened his arms around her body, pulling her even closer on top of him.

"Never. I promise." he murmured, running his hands through the soft curls at the end of her hair. She grinned, satisfied, making Spencer happy as well.

"So tell me about Dr. Who." she said, returning her eyes to the TV. Spencer smiled excitedly. They'd be there a while.

Around five o'clock, Evie's phone rung on the coffee table. The entire day had been spent just lounging around and cuddling together to Spencer's relief. He still felt like there was an animal trying to claw it's way out of his head and overall he just felt awful. Evs made him feel better though, and she rarely left his side.

"Who was it?" Spencer asked after listening to her go "okay" a couple times over the phone. She set it down again and sighed with disappointment. Reid had a pretty good idea of what was coming next.

"We got called into work." she said, looking at Spencer apologetically. He sighed in the same way and reached over to squeeze her hand as she sat next to where he laid on the couch.

"Alright, alright. Let's get going."

"I'm sure if you tell Hotch you aren't feeling well..." Evie started, but Spencer interrupted.

"Because I have a giant hangover? No thank you." he said. Evie laughed and kissed his forehead.

"Here's an idea; don't drink so much next time."

"I usually don't! Ever! It was Morgan's fault!"

"Excuses, excuses." Evie joked, standing up and stretching. "Come on, I'll get your coat."

Once they were through the elevator doors and into the bullpit of the BAU, Spencer realized everyone looked worn out. He really didn't want a case right now. Neither did anyone else.

"Where are we going this time?" Spencer asked JJ as she walked by. She looked troubled, but he supposed she always did when hearing about gruesome cases. She startled easily when he spoke, relaxing when she realized he was asking her a question.

"Oh, um... This one is different. Meet in the round table room." she said, obviously side tracked. Spencer frowned and looked over at Evie who mirrored his expression. She shrugged and led the way to the round table room where most of the team was already seated. Upon entering the room, Morgan snickered up at Reid.

"How are you feeling today, Pretty Boy?" he asked, knowing the answer. Spencer shot him a dirty look and sat down next to Evie across the table from Derek and Rossi.

"Why weren't the case files sent to our tablets?" Dave asked, swiping his finger across the tablet screen in front of him. Hotch walked into the room at that moment, followed by JJ and Garcia. They all looked solemn. This definitely wasn't good.

"It's not exactly a case." Hotch said, throwing down a brown FBI folder onto the table, papers nearly spilling out the sides. They all looked up at him with a mixture of confusion and concern. It was Morgan however, who reached for the folder first. He frowned through his thick dark eyebrows and opened the cover. Spencer tried to crane his neck to see, but it was no use. He studied Derek's reaction instead. Upon seeing the first file in the folder, he closed his eyes and sighed. Spencer knew it must've been bad.

Morgan threw the folder face up and open on the table. The first file was a picture of a petite male lying on cement floor, most definitely dead. His eyes were slightly open, eyes staring into an abyss that only he could see. His arms and legs were splayed out around him, and it was apparent that he'd been tortured. The worst part was the symbol carved into the man's abdomen... it was the same symbol that the team had recieved at their doors. It was apparent that the picture was a message to them.

"Where was he found?" Rossi asked in a grave voice.

"He wasn't." Garcia whispered from where she stood, diverting her eyes from the picture. Spencer frowned, feeling more effects of his headache rush through him. He opened his mouth to say something, but the pain pounded in his head and he groaned instead, letting his head fall to rest his forehead on the table. He was aware of his friends turning to look at him but he didn't care. He felt Evie tap his shoulder so he turned to see her holding out pain killers. He graciously accepted and swallowed two pills.

"You okay there, Reid?" Hotch asked, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. When Hotch was even laughing at you, you knew you probably looked pretty pathetic.

"Yeah, yeah. Continue." he said, slipping his hand into Evie's under the table. She squeezed it and ran her thumb over the top of his hand as she often did. The team just brushed off the sight of Spencer's first hangover and returned their attention to the picture.

"So... how'd we get the picture?" Morgan asked, looking to Hotch and JJ for answers.

"It was sent to the BAU, addressed to us." JJ said, her eyebrows drawn together. Spencer could tell there was a lot of stress on her. After all, Henry was more than likely a target as well. Anything that would hurt the team seemed to be all this unsub desired.

"There's no way of knowing where it came from?" Dave asked, taking the picture to examine it more closely.

"They're trying now. So far, no luck. It wasn't put through any postal service." JJ explained further. Evie took a deep breath besides Spencer. He turned to glance at her, seeing the same frightened expression that JJ wore. Reid squeezed her hand, making her look at him. She forced a smile, but that's all it was: a forced smile to make Spencer feel better. He could sense the obvious worry there, and he didn't blame her. They were being stalked and targeted by a killer.

"What do we do?" Evie asked, looking around the table. Unfortunately she only got apologetic and blank faces in response. Everyone was quiet for a while before Hotch spoke up.

"Anything we can, I guess. All of our cases are cancelled until we figure this out."

"But we don't even know if this guy is here in Quantico or halfway across the world in San Diego." Morgan said, exaggerating. They all got the point though.

"Don't talk like that! This guy is threatening my family. We'll catch him... right?" Penelope blurt out. The team watched as she looked on the verge of tears. They all knew she was hit harder when situations like this came.

"You're right, we will." Derek said, standing up to walk over to Penelope and wrap an arm around her. She seemed to relax just a bit, leaning into Morgan's embrace. Spencer knew this wasn't just a passing storm. They would have to catch this killer, or else he'd catch them.

The first victim wasn't the last. Throughout the course of a week, two new photos showed up on JJ's desk, addressed to the BAU. The first on was of a man who was short and plump. The same torture marks were scattered over the body, making it look almost unrecognizable. His eyes were open in the same way, dead and staring off into nothing. The symbol was carved into his stomach, blood dripping down, nearly making Evie sick when she saw it.

The second one was of another male, completely different. He was tall and built, more-so than Morgan even. The same torture marks were displayed as well as the symbol. The team had racked their brains, trying to figure out victimology, stressors, surrogates, anything that they could use. The victims were completely different, and the only thing they knew was that the unsub was a single unsub, definitely Chinese in race, and didn't dwell too far away. The team hadn't been this stressed in a while. There were so many other cases coming in on JJ's desk and Spencer could tell it hurt her to have to turn them down. All of the teams focus was on this case, a case they had absolutely no leads on.

Spencer and Evie hadn't been going out a lot lately. Evie was freaked out, and Spencer had to admit he was too. Now that he had someone to protect, everything became more frightening. He didn't want anything to happen to Evie. She was everything.

One day that they were out at the park, they were walking back to their apartment hand in hand. The skies were gray and growing darker with thick clouds. Everything seemed more gloomy lately. They still enjoyed every second together though. They might as well if any could be there last.

Don't think that way. Spencer scolded himself. We'll catch him. It was beginning to seem hard to believe though. They hadn't ever had this little on an unsub in such a long span of time. Not to mention, it was an unsub particularly targeting them. It made it a little bit harder to concentrate.

"I told you it was going to rain." Evie said, nudging Spence in the ribs and they walked. He glanced up at the skies and frowned.

"Maybe we should walk faster." he said, pulling gently on Evie's hand.

"Ok, ok! I'm coming." she laughed while stumbling forward into a faster pace that was much easier for Spencer since he was significantly taller. It didn't help, however. Within a minute, the skies opened up. It didn't even start off light at first. Rain poured down by the bucket instantly, already soaking through Spencer's shirt. Of course it was a warm day for early October, but the rain was still cold.

"Shit..." Evie muttered under her breath. She was smiling though, obviously already laughing at the situation. Spencer wasn't so amused until he saw her eyes light up. She helped him let go and enjoy things that were worth appreciating. He loved her for that.

"Come on." he said, smiling at how Evie's eyes lit up in wonder. He took a tighter hold of her hand and together they ran through the rain down the wet sidewalk, splashing through puddles already forming. The building around them blurred through the rain and it was begging to get hard to see more than ten or fifteen feet in front of them. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but they kept running. Eventually Spencer got it. The feeling of running in the rain hand in hand with Evie, it was a memory he'd keep forever. And not just because he has an amazing memory.

"Your left." Evie shouted over the patter of rain, pointing over to a brick building with a ledge they could stand under. Spencer moved underneath, pulling Evie close to him. Both of them were breathing hard while watching the rain take over the streets. A flash of light traveled across the sky, illuminating their faces for a split second.

Spencer looked over at her with a devious smile. She didn't notice. He suddenly left her side to jump into a puddle to his left, splashing water up all over Evie. She shrieked and froze with her mouth wide open in surprise. She looked down at her already soaked clothing and then turned an evil gaze up at Spencer. The amused look he had fell from his face and he knew he was in trouble. Before she could get him back he took off running into the rain and back onto the sidewalk, Evie close behind. He didn't get too far before the back of his legs were drenched as Evs kicked up puddle water all over him. Spencer turned and grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and spinning her around.

Evie shrieked but laughed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. Her hair was soaked all the way through, and Spencer knew that his was as well. It was plastered all over to his face, but he hardly noticed. He finally set Evie down, but immediately regretted when he did. She tazed him underneath his ribs right where he was ticklish, making him jerk away.

"You know I can't stand that!" he said even though he couldn't help but laugh. He tried to reach forward to taze her back but Evie narrowly escaped, swerving out of the way and running down the sidewalk again. Spencer smiled and ran after her, eventually grabbing her hand and spinning her around to pull her tight against his chest. She giggled, trapped against his body by his arm secured around her waist.

"You got me." she said, her smile fading into a longing gaze as she stared into his eyes. Spencer was breathing hard, but not so much from the running. She literally took his breath away sometimes. Even when she was dripping wet, hair hanging over her face, droplets collecting over her face, she was gorgeous.

"Your beautiful. You know that, right?" Spencer echoed his thoughts. Evie still blushed every time he said so, and he said it multiple times everyday. It never failed to make her smile though. She took his loosely hanging tie in her hand and pulled Spencer forward more and more until their lips met. Spencer could taste the rain on her lips, and he was sure she could as well. It still poured down around them, but it hardly bothered them. The only signs of other life around them was the occasional car that went by, but with the rain Spencer highly doubted they cared to even notice the kissing couple in the middle of it on the sidewalk. It was barely a thought that crossed his mind anyway. For now all he could think about was Evie on his lips, her hand pulling at his tie and her other hand going to the back of his neck.

Spencer didn't take this chance for granted. He wrapped both arms around his waist, pulling it hard against his. Evie deepened the kiss and ran her fingers through his sopping wet hair, tugging him closer as she did. The fire ignited in the pit of Spencer's stomach and suddenly he wanted her... bad.

It was then when Spencer realized they had made it to the front of their apartment complex. Spencer smiled through the kiss, knowing he had her. He starting gently guiding her to walk backwards, not letting them break the kiss. Once they were closer to the brick of the building, he picked her up with one sweeping movement, wrapping her legs around his waist. Reid moved fast in between their apartment building and the pizza shop next door so they were hidden in a small crevasse. He pressed her back to the side of the building and pressed his own body against hers, holding her up. It reminded him of the storage room at the bar. There was no shame in having a second time.

"Spence..." Evie whispered through her panting as he attacked her neck. He hummed in response while lightly nipping at her skin and kissing her all over. He kept his hips close to hers, not having the courage to be the one to go further. Luckily Evie did have the courage. She moved her own against his, making him moan. "I don't know." she breathed, tilting her head back and arching her back to give Spencer better access. He smirked and continued sucking lightly. Her moving her hips like that and the taste of her neck... it was too much for him. He stopped, breathing hard. Spence looked up at her with his best puppy dog eyes. She barely opened her eyes to frown at him, probably wondering why he stopped.

"Apartment?" he asked in a shy voice. Evie beamed and nodded.

"Apartment. Now."

Spencer and Evie were able to keep their 'cool' through the apartment lobby, but once they got up the stairs to their floor, Spencer had Evie's legs wrapped around his waist as soon as he possibly could, holding her under her thigh with one hand and the other at the small of her back, moving lower as he stumbled to their door. Spencer groaned in frustration, trying to dig out the key from his pocket and pressing Evie against the wall to keep her up while he did. He miraculously never broke the heated kiss they were in as he found it and fumbled it into the key lock, turning it and kicking the door open. He threw the key aside, not really caring where it landed at the moment. He was pretty occupied.

Spencer kicked the door closed and moved towards the bedroom, Evie's legs tightening around him. He laid her on the edge of the bed and moved on top of her, moving his lips to her jawline and then to her neck. They were still soaking wet, turning everything damp wherever they went, but it wasn't a main thought on Spencer's mind at the moment. He hovered over her body, not pressing them together just yet.

"Um..." Spencer mumbled, finally taking his lips from her skin. Evie's chest moved up and down drastically with every pant she took. She raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for what he was going to do next. "Our clothes are all soaking wet." he whispered, his lips only a couple inches from hers. She smiled and re-wrapped a leg around his waist, pulling him down on top of her.

"Should we do something about that?" she asked, just as quietly. It was a different way of asking each other permission almost. Spencer pulled his eyebrows together and nodded as if he was in deep thought about it.

"Yeah... yeah, I think we should." he said, his voice at least a couple octaves higher than usual. Evie must've noticed because she laughed, but it was interrupted when Spencer reconnected their lips, his tongue slipping into her mouth. Evie let out a small moan and fiddled with the buttons of his button down shirt. Once she had all of them undone, she slid it off Spencer's shoulders that still glistened with rain water and discarded the clothing to the floor. Her hands skimmed over his chest and stomach, taking in every inch. Before he knew what was happen, Evie flipped them over so she straddled his waist and Reid was on his back, completely vulnerable to her. He didn't mind.

He began to let his hands travel under her blouse to her taut stomach, feeling up to the bottom of her bra and back down again. He broke away from their kiss to look down at the hem of her shirt to lift it over her head. Evie helped him throw it aside and then leaned down to kiss right below his ear on his neck.

"I- I've uh..." Spencer stumbled over his words until Evie pushed herself against his waist. Spence moaned, his eyes rolling back until they fluttered closed, forgetting what he was going to say for a moment. When it came back to him, he blushed. "I've... um... I've never..." he tried to tell her. He was pretty sure anyone could guess he was a virgin, but he didn't know how to tell her that he wanted this but just wanted everything to be perfect.

"It's okay, Spence." she whispered, leaned back a bit into his hips and taking his hand in hers. She moved his hand to bra, looking into his eyes the entire time. Spence couldn't tear his gaze from her gorgeous eyes. He didn't want to. She continued to guide him, letting him finally feel the soft skin right above the top of the last article of clothing on the top half of her body. Once she knew he was comfortable, she resumed kissing his neck, moving to remove his pants next. Spencer lifted his hips into hers so that she could get them off, leaving him only in his boxers. Suddenly he could feel so much more of her without his jeans. The thought would usually make him nervous, but this was Evie. He had nothing to be nervous about.

With that in mind, he flipped them over once again so that he was on top of her. He instantly fiddled with the button of her jeans, desperate to get rid of them. She scraped her nails lightly against his bare back as he did, her eyes closed in bliss. After Spencer managed to get her down to her panties, he moved his mouth to her neck and trailed kisses all the way down to her chest. He just knew this would be a memorable night.

**A/N: If anyone is interested, I have another story about Spencer and how I imagined his struggles with his drug addiction to Dilaudid and all of the drama after he was kidnapped by Tobias in the second season! It's called Sympathy for the Devil, so if you're interested please read! Thanks, Merry Christmas**


	15. Ultimate Champion

**"I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion."**

**-Mia Hamm**

Evie's eyes fluttered open to a sliver of light shining through the curtains of her and Spencer's room. She was used to it now. She was used to referring to this place as her home. She was used to calling Spencer her Spencer. This was her life now, and she wouldn't rather have it any other way. All that time spending alone, abandoned, and feeling worthless had paid off in the end. She was glad she'd gotten this far. Everything really did work itself out.

Suddenly, last night came back to Evie. The fact that she didn't have one trace of clothes on was a pretty good reminder as well. She shivered and pulled the blanket over her shoulder, accidentally bumping Spencer's arm in the process. Evie turned to see him sprawled out under the covers, obviously completely naked as well. His hair was a beautiful mess, covering one of his eyes. His mouth was just slightly agape, his heavy breathing just barely able to be heard. Reid's chest rose and fell with each breath. One arm was draped across his chest as he slept, and Evie had to hold back from squealing like a little girl. She didn't think there was any possible thing that could look cuter.

Evie shifted her weight so that she was lying on her side to face Spencer. She moved her body closer to his and reached forward to gently touch his forehead. She moved his hair from his eye so she could watch his eyelashes barely flutter in his sleep. She was close enough to feel his breath on her collarbone. She savored the feeling.

"I love you, Spence." she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear, but she didn't care. She just needed to say it. His eyes fluttered open, his chocolate brown orbs staring at her for a second before he squeezed his eyes shut and stretched out while yawning. Evie smiled while watching him shake the hair out of his face so he could sleepily look at her.

"Hi." he whispered, giving her a small innocent smile. Evie traced the muscles on his stomach with her fingertips, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind on his skin.

"Hi." she responded, smiling back. Spencer glanced down at the sheets covering his body at then up and down at Evie.

"We're not wearing clothes." he plainly stated, obviously not fully awake yet. Evie laughed and leaned forward to kiss his nose.

"Good observation."

Spencer smiled dopily, a smile Evie had come to love to see every morning that he was overcome with fatigue and wasn't fully awake. He took her hand in his and held it under his chin so he could nuzzle it.

"Last night was... was..."

"Amazing?" she suggested, watching how interested he was in her hand.

"More than amazing." he said, smiling at her. "And I love you too, by the way." he added. Evie chuckled. She hadn't thought he had heard her, but Spencer still surprised her. For one night they had forgotten about the threat of a killing stalker. They had each other, so they were happy. Unfortunately, that pure happiness and worry free period of time was short lived.

In not even a week later, a new picture showed up. This time it was of a short but built man. He had the same burns, cuts, and bruises as the others, but the aggression seemed to have increased. Either that particular victim lasted longer or the unsub was growing angrier.

"What if he gets us before we get him." Evie whispered one afternoon in the round table room. The team was looking up at the screen where Garcia was presenting some new information she may have gotten on the unsub. They think they had a location from where the pictures were being sent. The team was going to try to add more to the profile before heading out.

"Okay, listen up." Hotch said upon walking into the room. Everyone diverted their attention from the screen to look at Hotch's grave face. There was something else there... regret, Spencer thought. He could tell that what was coming next wasn't good. "I've just been told that we are no longer on this case. We're being temporarily suspended for our own safety. I tried to negotiate, but... They're just not budging." Hotch said, obviously disappointed. Spencer knew how upset he got whenever he let his team down.

"What! But Hotch, we just got our best lead on the location of this guy! They think it's safer without us trying to catch this guy?" Morgan said, rage clear in his voice.

"I agree with Derek." Evie quietly said from beside Spencer.

"I as well." Rossi spoke up. "This is probably the safest place for us now. And if anyone can figure this out, it's us."

"I know, I know. I'm not pleased with this either, but they said that they've given us enough time. A new sector will be taking over the investigation. Luckily, there is one person we have that can help us out." Hotch said. Everyone frowned in confusion that soon fell away as Prentiss stepped in the room. She smiled at them and clapped her hands together.

"Technically, I'm not on this team, so I'm allowed to help with the investigation." she explained. Her eyes met Spencer's and she gave him a small smile that he couldn't help but return. He missed her.

"I thought you were already back in London." Garcia said, clicking over in her heels to give Emily a hug. Prentiss smiled and accepted Penelope's embrace.

"Not yet. At the end of the week I'll be gone, but until then, I've been invited to aid the case. I'm sorry to hear that this is happening to you guys."

"It's like 'Zugzwang' all over again." JJ said. Spencer chest tightened. Last time there was someone stalking his girlfriend and eventually the team. It had ended in Maeve being brutally shot in front of him... now Evie... would she have the same fate? "Iiiiii mean... not really." JJ said, immediately regretting what she said upon looking over at Spencer's wide eyes. She reached over and squeezed his hand, but the thought already hit him. He couldn't let what happened to Maeve, happen to Evie. He just couldn't.

"Well I think we all have our full trust in Emily for this case. As of now, we have to collect our things and leave. Agents will be on a cycle around our apartments and houses until we find this unsub. I'm sorry it has to be like this." Hotch concluded, looking into the eyes of each of his team members. Anyone could feel the disappointment heavy in the air, but they couldn't do anything. Spencer put a hand on Evie's shoulder and squeezed lightly before standing up. Together the team took one last look at all of the files and work they had on the case, and left in silence.

"This sucks." Derek plainly stated as the elevator doors opened to the first floor of the FBI building. Spencer slipped his hand into Evie's, finally able to drop the whole professional act. She leaned her head into his shoulder until everyone else stepped out of the elevator.

"So what now? We just wait around hoping some psychotic killer doesn't slaughter us in our sleep?" Rossi asked, looking to Hotch for answers. Unfortunately their team leader just shrugged, his scowl even deeper than usual.

"Well I mean, they can't stop us from going to look at the location we dug up. I still have it on my laptop." Garcia spoke up, eyes wide from the thought of her idea. Spencer looked to Morgan who pursed his lips in thought and nodded.

"Yeah. I'd be up for that."

"If we all go it may look suspicious though." JJ said as the team walked to the glass doors of the building to exit. Before anyone could respond, there was a noise that sounded like a metal can rolling across a floor. Spencer frowned and looked around for the source of the sound. He suddenly found it weird that no one else was in the lobby. There were usually people bustling around trying to get to different sectors, and if not that, there were guards standing around. Now, there was no one.

"Everyone get out!" Morgan suddenly boomed, startling everyone around him. At that moment, there was a clicking sound following by a hissing. Near the front doors, there was an aluminum can releasing a thick gas into the air. The toxic smell already was detectable from where Reid stood, and he knew that it wasn't good. Instantly, he took Evie's hand and pulled her to the door that was already bathed in a white fog. The rest of the team scrambled out around them, JJ being the first to break out of the infested room and into the fresh air of the outdoors.

"What-" Garcia tried to say, but was interrupted by a fit of coughs. The rest of the team made it outside without falling to the fumes. Spencer took both of Evie's hands in his and looked into her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded and tried to say something, but it just ended in coughing. Spencer rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head before looking around to make sure everyone else was alright. The thick gas still flowed behind the glass doors, completely filling the lobby. He hoped there wasn't anyone in there.

"What was that?" Penelope was finally able to say, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"Some form of knock out gas." Hotch said, taking his phone out of the inside of his jacket to most likely call for back up.

"It's a incapacitating agent, obviously meant just for us." Spencer said, clearing his throat from the strain of the gas he inhaled.

"Stop!" Spencer suddenly heard Morgan yell. He whipped around to look towards the direction Morgan was looking in. There was a man in a black ski mask throwing a black duffle bag into the back of a dark van. He was frantic, stumbling with the lock on the doors. It only took less than a second for Morgan to break out into a sprint. The man was about thirty feet away behind the corner of the building next door. Unfortunately by the time Morgan was even remotely close, the supposed unsub was already in the front seat, backing up down the alley with immense speed.

"Reid!" Morgan yelled, turning sharp on his heels to look over at Spencer. He frowned, but then got what Derek wanted. Spencer's car was parked just fifteen feet away from the building. He thanked himself for always getting there early.

"Stay here." Spencer told Evie, kissing her cheek before running to his car, Morgan on his heels. Reid whipped the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car before yanking the door open to sit down in the drivers seat, Morgan sliding into the passenger seat. As Spencer turned the key in the ignition however, the sound of a third door opening came from behind Morgan in the back seat. Spencer saw Evie jump in last second, making his chest tighten.

"Evie!" he tried to protest, but Morgan anxiously tapped on the arm rest of his chair.

"No time! Go!" he said. Spencer hesitated for a fraction of a second. There was no way he wanted Evie in the car during a car chase. Morgan was right though. She would undoubtedly argue and there wasn't time. He was mad, but there was no time for that either.

Spence floored it backwards and then turned in the direction where the van was speeding out of the alleyway. He put the car back in drive and then took off down the street, eventually through the alley, leaving the rest of the team behind with wide eyes. Reid was so focused on not sliding off the road and colliding with a wall that he barely noticed Derek was handing Evie a gun.

"Woah, woah! She's not even certified yet!" Spencer interjected, swerving to the left when he caught sight of the van that was advancing ahead through mild traffic.

"Reid, more help is better than none." Derek said. Spencer shot him a death stare and then turned his eyes back on the road where he just barely missed hitting a silver SUV.

"Spence, I'll be fine."

"That's what everyone says before they're not fine!" Spencer yelled, frustrated. Reid saw Evie roll her eyes and shake her head in the mirror, but he decided to talk about it later. Didn't she understand how worried he was?

Focusing on the car chase, the van was only separated from them by one car. Spencer was able to maneuver around the last obstacle and pull up so he was speeding right in line with the unsub's van. Unfortunately the windows were tinted to the point where Spencer wondered if they were darker than the law allowed. Either way, the unsub's face was only a dark shape that had no recognizable features. One shape that was easily made out was the gun he raised.

"Duck!" Morgan boomed. Spencer turned to make sure Evie ducked below the window then slid down lower in his seat himself just in time for Morgan's window to shatter, pieces of glass falling from the frame. Another shot sounded through the air, but Spencer didn't dare to look with how fast they were traveling down the car filled street. People along the sidewalks watched and pointed, and cars swerved out of the way when they passed by the best that they could.

The van swerved after the second shot was delivered, turning on a side street. Spencer swore under his breath and yanked the wheel to take a sharp turn that barely lifted them onto only two wheels for a split second. He heard Evie gasp from the back seat and looked back to see her squeezing her eyes shut and gripping the seat.

"You okay?" Reid asked, resuming a spot behind the van since it was only a two way street.

"Yeah, I just prefer cars on all four wheels." she said with a strained voice. Morgan chuckled as he knocked the rest of the glass out of his window frame so he could lean out, gun pointed at the back doors of the unsub's van. He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger a couple times, only making small puncture marks in the back windows.

"Is it bullet proof?" he asked rhetorically with frustration clear in his voice. Spencer heard the back window roll down as Evie joined Morgan in aiming at the van. Instead of pointing at the windows though, she aimed her gun down and shot near the bottom.

"Shit..." she muttered as she missed. Reid sped up a bit, closing some distance between the two vehicles just in time for Evie to pull the trigger and nail one of the back tires.

"Nice, Lawrence!" Morgan praised. Spencer made a small whine in disagreement. He didn't like this. They were at 95 miles per hour on a street with a 35 mph limit and Evie was shooting at a serial killer's car. He wasn't too fond of the situation.

The blow to the back wheel had the van swerving off to the right now, the unsub obviously having trouble controlling the car. Building passed them in a whirl as well as anything else that Spencer couldn't make out as anything but flying colors. Finally the van was slowed by the disadvantage and Reid was able to maintain a solid 70 mph. Unfortunately the unsub must've known it couldn't keep this up much longer. Suddenly, the van screeched to a sliding halt.

"REID!' Derek yelled as the car nearly collided. Spencer's heart nearly stopped as he whipped the steering wheel to the right as fast as he could before hitting the unsub's vehicle. The car tilted as it ran up part of the sidewalk and Spencer slammed on the brakes. Unfortunately it was too late before the back of the car hit a lightpost, sending them spinning out of control until they hit the side of a brick building. Luckily they weren't going too fast. It was still enough to do significant damage however, and it was the side where Morgan and Evie sat where they made the contact.

"Evie?" Spencer instantly called, unbuckling his seatbelt to twist to see Evie with wide eyes in the back seat. Thank god she still looked intact however.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." she breathed. Reid looked to Morgan who winced as he pulled a small piece of glass out of his arm.

"Morgan?'

"Fine, fine." he muttered. His dark eyes looked up from under his eyebrows and looked out of the slightly cracked windsheild. Spencer followed his gaze to see that the van was gone. At the moment it wasn't exactly his main concern however. The car hood was bent, smoke rising from the engine causing Reid to cough. He popped his door open and immediately went for the back door, opening it so Evie could climb out. As soon as she was clear from the car, she wrapped an arm around him, cradling the other to her chest. Spence rubbed her back before pulling away and frowning.

"What's wrong with your left arm?" he asked. Evie flinched while holding out her right arm for Spencer to see a deep gash in her forearm. He felt his chest tighten seeing her in pain.

"Evs... We'll get that fixed up." Spencer told her. He couldn't help but feel a bit of anger bubble up inside him. This is exactly why he told her not to come, but he could save that for later. Right now she was hurt and he felt awful.

"Can't believe he got away." Morgan grunted as he pulled himself out of the driver's seat that he had to crawl to since the passenger side was smashed in. Sirens started filtering in along with flashing lights. Two police cars and an ambulance pulled into the street where the three agents stood. Hotch jumped out of the passenger side of one of the police cruisers and ran up to where they stood.

"Everyone okay?" he asked. They nodded and Morgan proceeded in filling him in about how he escaped. Spencer took Evie's right hand and led her to the ambulance where they had opened the back door. A few people in white coats jumped out, one lady catching sight of Evie's arm.

"I'll take care of that, sweetie. Sit right here." she said, gesturing to the ledge on the back of the ambulance. Evie sat down and held her arm out, gash up. Spencer noticed how she diverted her eyes to anywhere but where the blood was still flowing. He didn't blame her. He wouldn't want to look either.

"Will I need stitches?" she asked, worry wavering in her voice. The nurse took a cloth and dabbed at the wound, making Evie wince.

"I don't think so. We should be able to get you all patched up here." The nurse answered. Evie nodded and squeezed her eyes shut in pain as the medic continued tending to her cut. Spencer walked to Evie's side and rubbed her shoulder gently, feeling her relax under her touch. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, taking in everything that just happened.

"Evie... If you don't mind me asking, what on Earth were you thinking?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even. He was a mix of emotions. Relieved that no one was killed, angry that Evie threw herself in obvious harm's way, disappointment that the unsub escaped, and guilt that he was the one driving. Spence took a deep breath and waited for Evie's answer.

"I- I couldn't just let you go while I stayed there and waited around for you." she said. She kept her eyes on the ground, but Spencer hardly noticed. His heart was still racing and it was getting harder to stay calm.

"Evie, you could've died. There's a reason I told you not to come!" Reid continued, voice rising. At this point, Hotch had made his way over to make sure Evelyn was okay. He frowned and looked between the two but stayed quiet.

"I'm sorry! It's not about me though, it's about the team as a whole. Spencer, I'm on this team too and I will do anything I can to help this case. If that meant going with you then so be it."

"Then that's just completely wreckless!" Spencer said, his voice an octave higher than usual like when he got upset. He was pacing now, his breathing abnormally fast. He could've lost her... That's all he kept thinking. "I mean, what if we were going just a little bit faster! You could've been completely destroyed in the crash... and- and it would've been my fault too!" he continued to rant relentlessly. It was Hotch that interrupted his sensless rambling.

"Reid..." he said. Spencer turned to frown at Hotch. He nodded to Evie who had her head down and turned away from Spence. He could still see the way her eyes were brimmed with tears. He didn't know if it was from the way the medic was tightly wrapping gauze around her hurt arm or Spencer nearly yelling at her. He was hit with a pang of guilt when he realized it was probably a mix of both.

"Hey..." he whispered, anger falling from his voice. He sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her back, rubbing her side and pulling her close. "Evs, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get angry about it... I was just terrified, that's all." he said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. Evie let out a shaky breath as the medic finished wrapping the wound and let her arm fall back to her side. Spencer looking at her face, waiting for her to answer. Evie turned back to face him, tears gone from her eyes thankfully. She leaned into Reid's chest and let him bind her in his arms.

"I love you. I'm sorry." Evie whispered. Spencer kissed the top of her head, smelling her shampoo that he loved so much.

"I love you too. It's okay, just please no more scaring the hell out of Spencer." he said, making her smile and roll her eyes at his use of third person.

"Uh... So are you guys okay?" Hotch asked awkwardly from a few feet away. To be honest, Spencer had completely forgotten he was there.

"Yeah, we're good." Evie said, sittting up straight again. Spencer squeezed her hand and sighed and let himself just be relieved that they were okay. There was no doubting the obvious fear of the unsub still being out there however. He had nearly knocked them all out, and then what? Kidnapped every single one of them from a federal building? This guy was certainly confident with himself to think he could pull something off like that. The thought worried Spencer even more.

"That was insane. This guy is insane." Emily said from the front seat of the black FBI SUV. Spencer's car was definitely in no shape to drive home so she offered to take him and Evie back to their apartment. The damage was pretty bad and it was an old car. The repairs would not be cheap.

"Thanks, Emily." JJ said Morgan said sarcastically from the passenger side. She gave him a apologetic grimace.

"Sorry, I mean... We'll get him. He's nothing." she said. Everyone knew that it wasn't sincere though. Spencer didn't blame her. He was insane. Who would ever try to pull that off?

"Stay safe, you guys." she said as she pulled into the parking lot of their complex. Spencer and Evie thanked her as she parked in a spot near the door.

"You going to be okay, Lawrence?" Morgan asked, looking at her arm with deep concerned eyes.

"Yeah, just a little cut." she dismissed. Reid chuckled sarcastically. If that was a little cut he didn't know what a big one would look like. She never did like others worrying about her though. She said it was too much hastle for others. Spencer never saw her put herself in front of anyone else. Sometimes it would drive him crazy how much she was willing to sacrifice in order to make others happy. Of course it was something he loved about her, but sometimes she needed to realize how much she was worth sacrificing for.

Spencer opened the door and jumped out, rushing to the other side to open Evie's for her before she could herself. He quickly put an arm around her back and another under her knees before she could protest. He lifted her into his arms, making her squeel.

"Spence, my arm is cut. My legs work perfectly fine!" she said, smiling despite her words. Spencer pursed his lips for a second and then shrugged.

"Still." he said, kissing her cheek. "Thanks again, Emily!" Spencer called into the car before lightly kicking the door closed. He pulled Evie tightly into his chest and carried her all the way up their apartment.

"God, they're cute." Emily said, watching Spencer carry Evie bridal-style through their apartment complex door. Morgan chuckled, watching them go as well.

"Yeah, he's definitely happy." he said. Emily sighed happily. Spencer always deserved more than he was handed. With a schizophrenic mother and a father who left, the BAU was basically all he had in terms of people to go to for support. With Evie he finally had someone to call his. The thought made Prentiss warm all over, knowing he had someone to take care of. She loved Evie too. She was just as shy and sweet as Spencer. She could see how they were so happy together.

"Our baby boy is growing up." Emily said, finally snapping out of her gaze and putting the car in reverse. Morgan chuckled his deep rumbling voice and raised his eyebrows.

"More than you know."

Evie sighed happily while watching Spencer pull on a tee shirt to go with his pajama pants. They'd spent the rest of the evening cuddling and doing things inside once it had gotten cold and gloomy out. Evie taught Spence a bit about drawing and Spencer showed her his magic tricks. The entire time he would not stop asking how her arm was. He made her soup and always made sure she had a pillow to rest it on. She laughed to herself about how obsessive and protective he was in the best possible way. She had never felt this loved in her life.

"How's your arm?" Reid asked as he slid into bed next to Evie, cuddling up to her side. He laid his head on her chest and wrapped an arm and a leg around her body, trapping her close. Evie chuckled.

"Just the same as it's been the last six hours, Spence. Fine, I promise." she said, kissing his temple. Reid smiled and nuzzled her neck, making her giggle. She loved when he did that but she was so ticklish.

"Guess what?" he asked excitedly. She stroked Spencer's hair and let him kiss her neck.

"What?" she asked, holding back a groan as he kissed harder.

"I get to read to you tonight!" he said, Evie smiled as Spencer left her side for a moment to lean over and grab a new book off of his nightstand. Ever since Evie read to him that first night they stayed together, they kept it a traditional thing... unless other things happened, and a lot of times they did. With Evie's hurt arm though, there was no way Spencer was going to risk going any further than 'cuddly-Spencer'.

"Okay, so I actually haven't read Dracula!" he said, excitedly. Evie laughed as Spencer snuggled back into his position cuddling up against her. He laid so his back was pressed up against her chest like she was the back of his chair to prop him up. Evie grunted when he let all of his wait press on her, but soon got used to it. He knew she loved when he covered her like a blanket. It made her feel safe.

"You and your dark stuff. Don't you get enough of that at the BAU?" she asked, smiling at how excited Spencer was. She could tell by the way he kept readjusting himself and wriggling around. When he got excited about books he couldn't sit still.

"Not like halloween stuff! Did you know the actual Dracula, also known as Vlad the third, didn't directly drink blood like the fable's but instead, he dipped chunks of bread in buckets of blood that he drained from his enemies!" Spencer said in his high pitched excited voice. Evie looked at him weird as he looked back to see her reaction like an exhilirated puppy.

"Charming." she said before kissing his head. Reid snorted in amusement and then turned back around to lay on Evie. He opened the book to one of the first pages, about to read.

"Oh, by the way, how's your arm?" he asked. Evie groaned but laughed, knowing that now he was just doing it to annoy her.

"Spencer William Reid, if you ask me about my arm one more time... " she said, nudging his side.

"How do you know my middle name! No one knows my middle name!" he asked, tilting his head back to look at her with amazed eyes. Evie smirked and raised her eyebrows at him.

"There is a lot I know about you, William."

"Stop it!"

Evie laughed at hugged him tight. "Read to me!" she said. Spencer snuggled into a comfortable position on Evie and straightened out the page he was on.

"Alright, alright! May 3rd in Bistritz. Jonathan Harker's Journal. Chapter One. Left Munich at 8:35pm, on 1st of May, arriving at Vienna early next morning, should have arrived at 6:46, but train was an hour late." Spencer began reading. Evie took a deep breath and sighed happily, burying her face in Spencer's soft hair. She let her eyes close as she focused on the sound of his voice and eventually, drifted off to sleep. She never thought she could feel this at peace, and she never thought that it would soon be so brutally torn to shreds.

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the support! Sorry it's taking a while, I have been outlining the second book! I will be turning this into hopefully a five book series and the second book is a bit darker with darker themes as Spencer has to battle some tragedies and losses along with many inner demons. I have maybe about six chapters or so left to this book, eagerly waiting for the second to start! Thanks to Sarah, Riley, and Mia for the last reviews!**


	16. Not Finished When Defeated

**"Defeat doesn't finish a man, quit does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits."**

**~Richard M. Nixon**

Spencer heard the sound of clicking in his sleep. Everything seemed surreal as he was caught between deep sleep and awakening. He felt himself lying down on something unfamiliar. Not only that, but something was lying heavily on his chest as well. Spencer squeezed his eyes tightly shut and forced himself out of his weird "in between limbo". He felt his arms tighten around the dormant mass lying on his body, figuring out that it was Evie snuggled deep into his chest. He was reminded of his surroundings.

It was a day after the car chase, and Evie's arm had been hurting her all day. She wouldn't directly say it to Spencer, but he caught her wincing when she thought his wasn't looking. He cuddled her and made her all of her favorite foods to try and make her feel just a bit better. She kept telling him it wasn't a big deal the entire day, but it was to him. Now they lied on the couch where they had fallen asleep in eachother's arms while watching more Doctor Who. The weird part was the clicking sound that turned out to be the shutter effect of Morgan's phone as he pointed his phone's camera at them... in the middle of their living room.

"Morgan! What the hell!" Spencer whispered shrilly. He craned his head to look at the clock on the mantle. It was just past noon, Morgan had no reason to be standing in the middle of the living room taking photos of them while they were sleeping to later make fun of them.

"Sorry, optimal opportunity." he muttered, taking one last picture and then putting his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. Spencer glanced down at the top of Evie's head to make sure she was uninterrupted. Her breathing remained at a constant slow pace, her mouth just barely parted. Spencer smiled and kissed her head, rubbing her arm lightly.

"What are you even doing here?" Spencer asked him, frowning at Morgan who smirked at the 'lovey-doviness' of it all. Morgan shrugged and began to casually walk around Spencer and Evie's apartment, reading the bindings of many of the books.

"I came to see how Evie was doing."

Spencer felt Evie shift on his chest and heard her groan. "It's a small cut! You guys need to stop fretting." she moaned, nuzzling her face into Spencer's chest. He felt the warmth of her hot breath seep through his shirt, making him smile. He loved when she did that.

Evie sat up on Spencer's legs, sitting on his lap while he was still lying down. She rubbed her eyes sleepiy, her hair all across her face from when she slept. Spencer smiled to himself while watching her. Man he loved her. If Morgan wasn't right there he'd definitely pull her down into a much needed kiss.

"How'd you get in?" Spencer asked, suddenly noticing that it was strange that Morgan just was able to get in. Derek looked over at Spencer with a frown and dark eyes. He gestured towards the door.

"It was cracked open." he said, as though it was obvious. "Not a good idea with what's going on, by the way." he added. Spencer felt his heart nearly stop. It felt like someone was sitting on his chest and he couldn't breathe...

"Morgan... I didn't leave the door open." he said slowly. Suddenly everything just seemed to freeze as everyone was struck with that realization. Evie stopped messing with her hair that she was straightening out, her arms still held above her head. Morgan's eyes were wide despite the way his eyebrows were drawn tightly together. Before anyone could do anything, all of the lights went out. Spencer instantly sat up and protectively threw his arms around Evie, making her shriek. At least she was still there.

"Shhhh..." Spencer whispered in her ear. They slowly untangled themselves so that they were standing in front of the couch, Spencer's hand holding hers tightly.

"Don't let go." he whispered. He could feel Evie shaking in his grasp. He didn't blame her, he was scared out of his witts, but more for her. He'd never forgive himself if something were to ever happen to her. He couldn't let his fear get to him though, for Evie's sake. Spencer was determined to protect his girlfriend with everything he had. "Morgan?" he called out in a whisper.

"Yeah, I-" Morgan started to whisper back, but suddenly he was interrupted by his own muffled scream. Evie gasped and clung on to Spencer's hand, nearly crushing his in her own. He was glad though, the tighter the better.

"Shhhh, shhh..." Spencer said as quietly as he could. His heart was beating hard enough for him to hear now. He wanted to freak out, call for Morgan, get out of there... If they moved though, it could be a fatal decision. Millions of questions raced in the back of his mind. How had he opened the door? How'd he cut the power? Do they run or do they stay still? One thing was for sure. They couldn't just stay there and do nothing.

"Let's make our way to the door. Stay close." Spencer said, still keeping his voice as low as he could. He could almost feel Evie nod from besides him. It was strange... it was the middle of the day and yet it was pitch black. How had all the blinds and curtains been shut? He hadn't done that either! The things this unsub was capable was extremely worrying to Spencer. Feeling the way Evie shake like she did, he knew she was just as scared.

"It's not opening! How is that possible?" Evi muttered, tugging on the door handle. She knew she was uncontrollably shaking but boy was she freaked out. How could she not be! Morgan could very well be dead now! They both could very well be dead in a few seconds! Or even worse... Spencer would be killed and she'd live. No, no, no, no, no... Evie thought, squeezing Spencer's hand extra hard. They'd be fine, they'd be fine. They were just bathed in pitch black darkness with a serial killer lurking throughout their apartment, ready to kill.

Evie felt Spencer rub her back to calm her. It helped, but only a bit which was usually saying something. Usually Spence could calm her down with just a slight touch. Nothing could keep her from freaking out over this though... Nothing...

Before Evie even knew what was happen, her worst fear came true. Spencer's hand was jerked away from hers and she heard another muffled yelp. It wasn't Morgan this time though, it was Spencer... her Spencer...

"Spence!" she screamed, not even caring to be quiet at this point. She heard a crashing sound in the direction of the kitchen, making her jump. Evelyn had never felt so helpless in her life. She felt blind, not even able to see her hand in front of her in the inky black atmosphere. She hadn't been living there long enough to know every spot of the apartment. Spencer was being attacked though... She needed to do something... Oh god, Oh god, Oh god... She thought, tears coming to her eyes.

"Spencer!" she tried again, taking steps towards where she heard the struggle. She still heard small thumps, but Spencer wasn't answering, why wasn't he answering? She knew there would be nothing she could do by walking towards the source of the fight but she wasn't going to just stand there. Evelyn stumbled around the room, looking for something, anything that would be heavy enough to seriously hurt someone. Her breathing was getting faster and choppier, tears threatening to spill down her face. She wasn't cut out for this. She hadn't even technically been in the field yet. The only thing she could think of was Spencer dead...

"Evie!" she suddenly heard. She could've sworn she jumped two feet in the air, she was startled. It was Spencer though, and he was definitely struggling. She could tell by the strain in her voice.

"Spence?" she called, stumbling towards his voice. She heard him grunt followed by another crash.

"No, Evs! Get out of here!" he said, but the last syllable was muffled by something. Evie was horrified, absolutely horrified. And like usual, she didn't listen. Not when it was Spencer's life on the line. She made her way towards the noises, but now they were sounding like they were coming frome each deepest darkest corner. Evie felt a tear roll down her cheek, but she took a deep breath. She needed to be strong. She was in the FBI for heaven's sakes. She needed to be brave.

Before Evie could act upon her promise for bravery, a short but muscled arm wrapped around her arms, holding her constricted. A cloth was put over her mouth, muffling her high pitched scream. She thrashed and fought, but it was no use. She couldn't even think about what was happening, but she did know that it wasn't just a cloth. The heavy smell of chemicals burned her nose and throat as she involuntarily breathed them in. Her thoughts faded and she could feel her body slackening. Her last thought before she completely faded was, Is this the end?

The first thing Spencer realised when he woke up was the pounding headache that was shooting through his head. Without opening his eyes, he reached back and touched the spot that hurt the most... it was wet with undoubtably blood. Everything rushed back to Spencer... the black out, the unsub tearing him from Evie, Evie refusing to get out of there while Spencer struggled with him as much as he could. He was knocked out before he knew what happened to her...

Reid felt himself on a cold hard surface. Every part of him was sore from lying there for who knows how long. The only thing he knew was this wasn't good. He tried opening his eyes, squinting against the light even if it was dim. Everything around him was cement and gloomy, except for the jail bars in front of him. He was in some sort of old cell with three cinder block walls and one of steal bars. Beyond the cell bars, there were rows of the same cells. He could see three from where he lied, but he guessed there were more. It was most likely a hall of cells, so there were cells besides him too. It made him wonder who else could be there...

Spencer groaned and rolled on his back opposed to how he was lying on his side. The ceilings were high, too high for him to reach and everything seemed old and run down, almost crumbling apart around him. Wherever this place was, it was definitely not used anymore.

"Is he up?" Spencer heard someone whisper: JJ. How many of us does he have?

"Hey, you awake over there, Pretty boy?" ...definitely Morgan. Spencer saw a dark mass step out from the back of the cell across from his, revealing Morgan's concerned face. He hated that he was trapped here too, but after not knowing what had happened to him, he was relieved to see his friends face again.

"Where's Evie?" Spencer immediately asked, pushing himself up frantically, thinking of all the terrible things that could have happened to her.

"Woah, woah. Calm down, kid. You're obviously not going anywhere. None of us are. I'm pretty sure Evie is still unconscious in the cell to your left." he told him in his smooth deep voice. How could he seem so calm right now!

"By 'none of us', who's us?" Spencer asked, hesitantly. He knew the answer wouldn't be good.

"From what Morgan and I have guessed, I'm in the cell to your right, Evie to you left, and Rossi is on the other side of Evie." JJ began, her voice slightly wavering. Spencer cringed at the fear in her voice and the fact that they had Rossi too. Who was this guy? How had he won?

"On the other wall from left to right it goes empty cell, Hotch, Morgan, then Garcia is across from me." she concluded, her quiet voice projected easily off the spacious walls and floors.

"He got Garcia too!" Reid asked frustratingly. What would happen next? They were trapped. The very team who saved victim's from serial killers had become the victim's themselves. Knowing the things Spencer has seen killers do to their victims, especially this one, he suddenly felt nauseous.

"Reid... Is that you?" Came a voice from across the hall and further down.

"Hey, Hotch. It's all of us." Morgan explained, sitting down with his legs crossed as close to the bar as he could get. Suddenly Spencer found that a good idea. He wanted to be as close to his team as much as he could. Spencer stood and walked the few steps it took to get to the bars. From there he could see the entire rows of cells. Even if he pressed the side of his head against the bars and looked left and right, he could just barely see Evie and JJ's cells on either side of him. JJ was sitting at the edge of hers as well, looking up at Spence with relief. He moved to the right and sat down, lying his head against the bars to see her out of the cracks. JJ forced a smile and reached out an arm to him. Spencer took her hand and gently squeezed it, trying to make her relax a bit. She was shaking in his grasp, and he didn't blame her.

Morgan went on to tell Hotch the arrangements of the cells, so Spencer quietly asked JJ, "Is Henry and Will okay?"

"I think so. They went out to the grocery store and that's when the unsub struck. I was... I was just cleaning up some of Henry's toys..." she said, choking up on the mention of Henry. Spencer grazed his thumb over the back of her hand like Evie did to him when he needed to calm down. JJ took a shaky breath and squeezed his hand harder. "What if I never see him again?"

"Hey, no. There's only no hope left when you start talking like that Jayge. They obviously will figure out we are all gone. We know Emily, she's great at what she does. They'll find us." Spencer said, trying to sound confident. He had to admit, by saying that he was trying to convince himself as well. JJ nodded and retracted her hand from his as a new voice sounded.

"Oh god... oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god..."

"Hey, calm down Baby girl." Morgan smoothed over Garcia's terrified mumbling. Spencer watched as she sat up and put her hands on each side of her face and began rocking back and forth.

"No, no, no, no, this cannot be happening." she said, her voice growing higher as she came close to crying. Spencer felt a pang of hurt listening to her. Garcia was the most innocent out of the team. It always hurt watching her hurt.

"We're all here, baby girl. Calm down." Morgan tried again, edging towards her cell and reaching out his hand as JJ did to Spence. Garcia gratefully took it and held onto it with both hands like it was her lifeline.

"What the hell?" another new voice joined in.

"Dave, you alright?" Hotch's voice echoed from where he stood by his cell bars. Spencer heard a groan from down the hall followed by a "yeah, yeah."

Spencer heart started beating fast. Why was Evie not waking up? Everyone else was regaining consciousness... why wasn't she? What if she was dead!

"Spence?" he heard the voice he's been waiting for. Spencer rushed to the other side of his cell, nearly slamming himself against the wall towards her gorgeous voice.

"Evs? I'm right here." Spencer said, pushing himself against the steel bars to see out to her cell as best as he could. He heard the murmur of Morgan and JJ calming Garcia and Hotch talking to Rossi, but he was most concerned about his Evie alone and afraid in a cell next to him. He heard her adjusting and soon her face appeared by the bars, looking at him withd sho wide eyes.

"Hey, it's okay." he said, taking her hand. It seemed like the only thing the team could do to comfort each other at the moment. It was almost torture.

"We're all here?" she asked in a smaller voice than usual. Spencer nodded regrettably, holding her hand tight.

"How'd we all get here?" Hotch's voice emanated over everyone else's. Rossi spoke up first, anger clear in his voice.

"Enjoying a nice glass of wine on my balcony. I was watching the agents around my house, they were right there! Something hit me in the back of the head and that was it." he finished. Spencer took a deep breath and shook his head. Somehow this guy had gotten all of them. They were all at his mercy and no one knew what to do.

Suddenly the sound of a door bursting open came from Rossi's end of the hallway. The walls echoed of the sound of someone eerily whistling and clicking footsteps. Spencer gave Ev's hand one last squeeze and then let go so they could retract into their own cell. He didn't know what this unsub was going to do.

Finally, he came into view. The dim lights hanging from the ceiling of the hallway caused shadows to fall over his face so that one could barey make out his features. He wore a white coat like a doctor or a scientist working in a lab. He wore safety goggle on his forehead which led Spencer to think definitely scientist. He was the same person he had just barely caughten sight of in JJ's house while babysitting Henry. He walked slow as if to torment them, create more fear. Maybe that's what this was all about... fear.

"So..." his chilling voice hissed. Walking past Evie and Spencer's cell to the end of the hall and then turning on his heel to walk back. He glanced at each cell as he walked, tapping something metal hanging from his belt as he did.

"Who are you! What do you want?" Hotch questioned forcefully. The unsub only chuckled and turned on his heel by Rossi's cell and began walking back.

"Who will be my first experiment?" the unsub rasped in nearly a whisper. Spencer closed his eyes as he felt the need to throw up. He got it now. He got why he did what he did. He just didn't get his interest in this team. No one answered until Morgan slammed his hand angrily against the bars of his cell, creating a clear cut ringing noise through the air.

"Is that why you do what you do! To experiment! Like some sick type of scientist?" he boomed angrily. Spencer could see the dark pupils of his eyes enraged even from about ten feet from where he sat. The unsub ignored him completely except the way he halted where he stood, right between Hotch and Evie's cell. Spencer's breath caught in his throat as the unsub turned to Evie, a wicked and disguisting gleam in his eyes.

"I've never experimented with a woman before..." he whispered. He barely could get out the last word before Spencer slammed himself against the bars in protest.

"NO! You- You..." he tried to choke out something that'd get him away from Evie. Thoughts raced through his head. The pictures of all the previous victims, the obvious torture inflicted on them, the difference between them... His last thought was of Evie going through the same thing. "You haven't experience on an endomorph yet!" he spit out as fast as he could. The entire team looked at him with frowns and confused faces. The unsub looked at him curiously instead. He pulled out a pad of paper from his white coat's pocket and scribbled something down with a pen. Was he recording their reactions?

"That's true." he hissed, chilling Reid to the bone. Not Evie, please not Evie. He kept thinking.

"You can't possibly move on to a whole new gender when you haven't... haven't experimented fully with males." he said. "Endomorph... someone who is tall and thin." Spencer said this more to explain to his team his intentions. The unsub had had victims of all types because he was testing their endurance. He'd had a short and stout, tall and built, tall and big, small and petite... There was one type missing, and Spencer was just perfect to fill that spot.

"No... wait, Spencer!" Evie protested. Reid felt awful as guilt coursed through him upon hearing the fear in her voice. He knew it was the right decision though. He would never let the unsub touch her. He'd rather die.

Without a word, the unsub stuffed his notepad back into his pocket and moved towards Spencer's cell instead of Evie's. He sighed in relief. She was safe. For now at least.

"No! No! Wait!" Evie shrieked as the unsub took a key off of a ring. He forced it into the lock of Spencer's cell, swinging open and instantly pulling a gun from his belt and pointing it at Spencer's forehead.

"If you try anything..." the unsub swung the gun away from Spencer and pointed it to Evie instead. Suddenly Reid couldn't breathe. "I kill her." Spencer gulped and nodded. Before he could even stand himself, the unsub grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him upright onto one knee. Spencer grunted in pain involuntarily and struggled to stand as the unsub yanked him out into the hallway.

"Wait! Don't use him, he's just a kid. I'm the team leader here." Hotch tried to offer. Spencer appreciated his offer, but he knew it wouldn't work. The unsub's mind was set, he was the next experiment.

"Dr. Reid isn't so much a kid anymore, are you Doctor?" the unsub whispered in his ear. Spencer cringed and elbowed the unsub in the gut without thinking. He took a hold of Spence's hair and pulled harder, causing him to yelp.

"Spence!" Evie shrieked. Spencer opened his eyes in time to see the man slam the cell door shut. One of Spencer's arms was twisted behind his back and he was hoisted up on his feet, but the only reason he was standing was because of the hand in his hair yanking him upwards and the way his arm was twisted behind his back. The unsub began dragging him in the direction where he'd come from, but before he could, Spencer struggled and dug his heels into the floor, halting their progress. He lunged himself towards where Evie was pressed up against her cell bars, grasping the cold metal in her hands until her knuckles were white.

Spencer was able to get his arm free so that he could reach through the bars and cup Evie's face for just a moment. Tears spilled down her flustered cheeks.

"It's okay... I love you, I'm sorry." he whispered, savoring in the touch of her skin and the look of her eyes staring deeply and longingly into his. He wish he could hold her more than anything in that moment. Who knew if he'd ever be able to again?

Within a couple seconds, Spencer was yanked forcefully away from Evie. He surpressed the urge to grunt from the pain, knowing it would only hurt Evie more. He passed... or more dragged, by Hotch and Rossi's cells where he gave them one last apologetic look into their terrified eyes.

"You can't do this!" Morgan's voice shouted from behind Spence. "Take me instead." he tried as well. No such luck. At the end of the hall there was a heavy metal door that the unsub yanked open and shoved Spencer into. The last thing he heard before it was slammed shut again was the sound of Evie screaming. It pierced through him, making his heart ache.

The new room he was in was spacious with high ceilings. There was one other door on the opposite side of the room that was worn down and hanging off its hinges. The walls were the same as everywhere else: cinder block. The floor was cement with cracks running deep in a few areas. The worst part however, was the blood already staining the middle of the floor that was carelessly and partially wiped away. Spencer's eyes widened as he was shoved to the middle of the room. The unsub kicked the back of his knees so that he was forced down onto them. Instantly, his arms were pulled roughly behind him and a harshly irritating rope was tightly tied around his wrists. Spencer kept his head down the entire time, knowing that what was coming next wouldn't be good.

After Spencer was secured and at the mercy of the unsub in the center of the floor, the man turned and walked back through the door and into the hallway where they'd just come from. Reid's heart raced... what was he doing in there? He didn't like the unsub anywhere near Evie. Even if it meant the worst of tortures, and he knew it did, Spencer just wanted the unsub to come back so he she wasn't in any way of danger.

Spence's eyes wandered around the room, catching sight of the only thing that was a crumbling piece of what seemed to be an abandoned prison. There was a digital clock on the cement ground with bright green numbers that read 12:56. So it had barely been an hour since they'd been kidnapped. Reid wondered how many more hours they'd be there. He wondered how many hours he had left alive. Don't think like that, Evie's counting on you. He thought. His beautiful delicate girlfriend... he still loved the sound of that. He couldn't die now, he had so much to live for. So much more than he ever had.

The sound of the door opening sounded behind Spence and his chest tightened. The images of the last victims flashed through his mind. He wondered what the unsub had planned. Lacerations, burning, electrocuting, drowning... the victim's had signs of them all. Reid felt absolutely sick. He wanted to be home, cuddling with Evie and watching Dr. Who. The thought made his eyes fill with tears but he couldn't let them fall, he wouldn't. He couldn't show this unsub his fear. Heaven knew he probably got off on that. Soon enough however, Spencer's bravery didn't do much good.

The beating started at one o'clock exactly. The unsub had yanked his head up by his hair and landed a blow in his abdomen. Spencer groaned and coughed, the wind being knocked out of him. He struggled to pull air back into his lungs, but it was no use. Within less than a second, the unsub's fist connected with the left side of Spencer's jaw. He yelped as he was knocked to the floor, giving the unsub a perfect angle to kick his stomach. Spencer lost count after six. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. He cried out with each kick, bringing his knees to his chest but it was no use.

"Spencer!" he heard Evie screaming through the metal door. He knew if he could hear her then she could most likely hear him. From there on out, Spencer tried as hard as he could not to scream. When the unsub had started using a metal pipe however, it had become increasingly difficult. Everything hurt. His head, his arms, his stomach, his back, his legs. The unsub thoroughly beat him nearly senseless. Reid could taste blood in his mouth and feel the tears involuntarily run down his face. With every hit, he thought of Evie. He thought of how she was waiting for him to get out of this alive, and it gave him strength. He couldn't ignore the pain that shot through him as he became more and more bloodied, getting more and more bruises and wounds.

At one point, Spencer couldn't even grunt in pain anymore. The only thing he could do was wheeze and cough from the lack of oxygen he was getting. It was beginning to get unbearable. From the way Spencer was huddled on the cold hard ground, he could see that one digital clock across the room. It read 1:09. It had been nine minutes already, of pure beating in every way possible. Spencer watched that clock turn like it was his lifeline. He hoped that at some point, at some specific time it would all stop. That's all he wanted right in that moment. For it to end.

Soon Spencer was starting to fade. Evie calling his name was a distant murmur and the unsub's quiet laughing was fading with it. The lights seemed to dim, but Reid knew it was only him. The world was spinning around him, more blows being delivered to his back, his chest, his stomach, and his face. At one point Spencer felt his lip split and his mouth filled with even more blood. He coughed, spitting it out as best as he could as the unsub continued until Spencer was seeing black spots. At 1:15, it all finally stopped. Spencer was feeling so sleepy though. He had gotten hit in the head more times than he could count, he knew he couldn't keep conscious for long. He muttered Evie's name one last time before he faded into the darkness.


	17. Nobler Endurance

**"Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty."**

**~John Ruskin**

Evie's throat was sore from screaming. She couldn't help it, the sound of Spencer being beaten like that was torture. Not only that, but before the unsub started the 'first session', or so he called it, he had dragged an old TV screen out of a closet on the far wall. He set it at the end of hallway for everyone in the cells to see and then plugged it into the crumbling wall. As soon as he walked out, the screen turned on to reveal Spencer in the middle of a cement room. Evie had gasped and pressed herself against the bars, as if willing herself to just magically melt through to run to her Spencer. It didn't work.

Within a couple of minutes, the unsub had punched Spencer in the stomach, making him hunch over in pain. Evie couldn't help but cry out, watching him hurt. The mindless beating continuted for what seemed like forever. If not for the rest of the team, Evie wondered if she might have screamed herself to the point of unconsciousness.

"Evie... Evie, please calm down. Please..." JJ had begged her. Evie had pressed herself up against the hard wall no matter how cold it was and pulled in choking sobs. Everyone else tried to calm her as well, but for the longest time it was no use. She couldn't ever remember freaking out that much. She had felt like she couldn't breathe, like an elephant was sitting on her chest.

"Evelyn! Listen to me!" Rossi's voice eventually boomed over everyone elses. "Come here." he had beckoned by waved her over with his arm that he stretched out of his cell. Evie had gulped down another sob rising from her throat and edged towards the bars. She took Rossi's outstretched hand and for the rest of the time Spencer was being tortured in there, he calmed her with soothing words and squeezing her hand. Evie wasn't quite as hysterical after that, but she still quietly cried to herself against the cold wall. From a few cells down, she could hear Garcia doing the same. The only thing she could seem to do was watch Spencer being thrown around and cry helplessly for his pain. Every kick, every punch, every hit sent paint shooting through her chest. This can't be happening... she had kept thinking. This can't be happening...

Finally, the unsub had stopped his brutality against her Spencer. She took in a shuttering breath of air, feeling it fully fill her lungs for the first time like resurfacing from nearly drowning under water. She tried to make out if Spencer was concious or not, but it wasn't easy in the poor quality of the TV screen. From the unmoving mass she could see on the screen, it didn't look good.

"Oh my god, what if he's dead." she wimpered. Rossi patted her hand and Morgan spoke up. Even he sounded solemn, all of the anger left from his voice and was replace with a pained tone for his friend. The entire room had gotten even more sad and gloomy, if it was even possible.

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that the kid is a whole lot stronger than he is made to look." Morgan said, his voice rumbling off the echoing walls. Evie took a stuttering breath and nodded. He'll be okay, my Spencer's strong... She told herself. She would drive herself insane if she thought differently.

With a loud boom, the door swung open. Evie gasped and threw herself against the jail bars to see through the slots. The unsub came walking in backwards, struggling to drag a limp Spencer into the room.

"Spence?" she called out, tears running down her face. He didn't respond. He didn't even move. The man kept staggering backwards, his arms wrapped tightly around Spencer's torso. As he got further and further down the hallway, Evie could make out more and more of his features. His shirt was torn and bloodied, his hair a mess, some matted on his forehead from sweat. His head was lolled to roll to the other side, facing away from Evie. His legs dragged behind him on the floor, his pants torn and bloodied as well. There was an open wound on his forehead that emanated blood, as well as his lip. Mostly, there were bruises... so many bruises damaging his gorgeous smooth skin she loved to kiss. Suddenly Evie felt like she couldn't breathe again. She made small gasps as the unsub dragged Spence past her cell and kept carrying on.

"Breathe, Evelyn, breathe." Rossi calmly told her from the cell besides her. She tried to focus on his words but the only thing that came to mind was the image of Spencer so... so broken... Evie couldn't hold back anymore. Her chest shook as another wave of sobs wracked her body.

Surprisingly, the 'scientist' passed Spencer's stall and kept dragging him. Instead, he stopped in front of JJ's cell, reaching forward to unlock her door. Was he going to throw in Spencer and take JJ? Was he going to slowly torture each member until they all ended up dead? Evie choked on another sob and Rossi reached back out for her hand. She gratefully took it.

"I'll be back for his next session in forty five minutes." the unsub hissed in slithering tone. He bent down to get a better grip on Reid's body and then hoisted him through the door and into JJ's cell. Evie heard Jayge rush to catch him, luckily not hearing the sound of Spencer hitting the hard cement floor.

Without another word, the unsub locked the door back up with an echoing clank and then clicked out of the room with each footstep. Evs let her head fall against the bars in defeat. The truth was, even though she buried it as far as she could in the back of her mind, that she didn't know if Spencer would make it out of her alive.

"Shhhhhh..." JJ coed, going into full on mother mode. She held a limp Spencer in her arms, nearly dead to the world. His eyes fluttered a few times, but he was dead unconscious. The blood and bruising was alarming. There was so much. Too much. The sight of it made JJ dizzy with worry. She felt a tear slip down her cheek as she stroked his hair. "Hold still, Spence." she whispered lightly as he stirred in her lap and in her arms. His head was supported by her right arm and his back was lying on her legs. Her left arm was wrapped protectively across his chest, feeling him breathing... making sure he was breathing.

JJ took off of her dark navy blue cardigan, careful not to move Spencer too much when she did. He moaned in pain when her arm accidentally brushed his side and she swore before apologizing quietly.

"Is he okay?" Evie's voice came from a couple cells down. JJ looked over the broken, beaten body in her arms and flinched. What was she supposed to tell her?

"JJ?" Garcia choked out from her cell. Everyone was waiting.

"He'll... be alright." she carefully chose her words. The room broke out into chatter about what they could possibly do next and how long they had to do it, but Jayge was more focused on Spencer at the moment. The way he was so limply lying on her worried JJ immensely. She wasn't sure if he had broken bones, what to tend to, what not to touch... She was frantic. JJ let her mother instincts kick in and decided to remove his shirt first. There was blood soaking through the light fabric in a few spots and she wanted to at least slow and bleeding. Now how was she going to work work him to get it off when he was nearly dead to the world?

JJ sighed and began by unbuttoning it all down the front, stroking Spence's hair to calm him whenever he stirred. She tried to keep focused so she would think about the tears gathering in her eyes. Her need to care for him thankfully kept her occupied enough to not submit to an emotional break down.

"Oh my god!" Jayge involuntarily gasped when she fully opened his shirt. The once smooth skin of Spencer's chest and abdomen was covered with dark bruises of all colours. A few spots by his ribs looked... uneven. JJ didn't doubt that he had broken at least a few. Her heart physically hurt while she examined the damage. Sure his arms and his face were a little bit bruised, but his chest and most likely his back too... It was almost hopeless.

"What!" Evie asked frantically from her cell. JJ immediately mentally kicked herself for reacting so dramatically when Evie was already scared half to death.

"Nothing, nothing. It's fine." she tried to convince her, but she wasn't even convincing herself. It wasn't fine. And it was only going to get worse.

"JJ!?" Evie whimpered, knowing she was lying. JJ sighed and was thinking of something encouraging to say but thankfully Morgan jumped in.

"Evelyn, sweetheart. Its not going to help Spencer by freaking out. That's just what this unsub wants. You know I don't think this little experiment is as much to study body reactions and endurance... I think its psychological. He is studying our behaviour and he just loves that he can get you worked u. Don't give him the satisfaction, baby girl." Derek concluded. All of the team was silent save for the sound of JJ gently whispering to Spencer who lied just as still as before as she used her cardigan to dab blood from the open wounds on his side. The small speech from Morgan wasn't quite just directed towards Evie though. Everyone let it sink in. It served as something to ground every one of them.

As JJ reached up to dab blood away from a wound on Spencer's forehead, he cringed and hissed in a sharp breath. Jayge eased up on her cardigan that was growing redder with each time she wiped away blood.

"Sorry..." she whispered for what felt like the millionth time. JJ began going a bit more gently as Spencer's eyelids began to flutter. He squinted against the light and then shut his eyes tightly once more while letting out a pained a groan that made Jennifer's chest tighten.

"Hey..." she cooed as he opened his eyes again to look at her for a moment. "Take it easy, Spence." Spencer squinted up at her face with confusion. She prayed he didn't have memory loss from being beaten in the head too many times.

"Jayge?" he croaked out. JJ ran her thumb along his jaw line before returning to tend to his forehead.

"I'm here." she replied in a soft voice. It was forced though, even she could tell that. Tears were building up, lining the tone of her voice. It was getting hard to breathe and see as her eyes blurred. Spencer gave her his unintentional puppy dog eyes that never failed to stab her insides.

"Don't cry." he whispered so quietly that she barely caught it. She smiled down at him and wiped her eyes. Here he was lying motionlessly and broken in her lap and he was worrying about her.

"Spencer..." Evie's voice whispered, as if she were to talk to loud it'd hurt him. JJ watched as Spencer's eyes lit up before her. He glanced in her direction, even if they couldn't see Evie at the moment.

"Hi, sweetheart." he rasped, suddenly taken over with a fit of coughs. JJ held him as he was overcome with coughing. Her chest hurt for them. She couldn't imagine being in this position with Will.

"Spence... I..." Evie choked out once he quieted down. She stopped though, unable to continue with a kept composure. Reid took a couple of deep breaths and squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again.

"It'll be okay, Evs." he said, quieter than last time so not to set off on another sequence of hacking. Spencer groaned and let his head fall back and fully rest on JJ's lap as she gently soaked up the rest of the blood on his side.

"It feels like I got hit by a truck..." Spencer whispered so only JJ could hear. Evie nor anyone else needed the extra worry of Spencer admitting how much he was hurting, but Jayge would definitely listen to him, no matter how much it may have been killing her. She bent down to lightly kiss the bruised skin on his temple. Spencer sighed and buried his head into her shirt over her stomach. JJ looked up at the ceiling to try to stop the tears from spilling over her face. She gently gripped Spencer's arm like if she ever let go, he'd disappear.

Within the next half an hour or so, the team continued to quietly talk among themselves. Morgan never stopped trying to find ways to bust the door open or crumble the wall away, but he hadn't gotten any further lately. Garcia was quieter than usual, Hotch and Rossi were trying to think of tacticle strategies and Morgan and JJ were profiling the unsub as much as they could, hoping it would help them in anyway possible. Spencer and Evie were talking quietly to eachother, and even though Spencer was still on her lap in her arms, Jayge tried not to listen to their conversation. She had moved as far as she could to the left towards Evie's cell and wrapped her arms around Spencer so he was propped up against JJ like a pillow. It was hard not to listen to some things they talked about, but other than that she tried to give them their privacy.

Eventually, Spence began to get heavier and heavier on her chest. JJ glanced down to see his eyes fluttering shut only for them to snap open again for a moment, and soon they began to slowly close again. She couldn't tell if he was just exhausted or losing consciousness, but either way it worried her.

"Don't close your eyes!" she scolded, gently shaking his shoulders. Spencer groaned and looked up at JJ.

"I'm tired! I'm not going to die, Jayge." he said in a small innocent sounding voice. Her mother insincts were on high at this point, but she didn't know what else to do for him. The only thing she could do was hold him instead of having him lie on the cold cement floor. It wasn't much but at least it was something.

"I don't know Spence... You're pretty beaten up."

"I've had worse."

"Oh really?"

Spencer was quiet, his eyebrows drawn together in thought. "Um... almost..." he whispered. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but nothing could at this point. Two o'clock was bound to be coming up soon, and Spencer's 'second session' was going to begin.

Spencer forced his eyes open again. Both Evie and JJ were getting upset whenever he nearly fell asleep. He was so tired though. His limbs felt a million tons heavy and he couldn't seem to keep his eyelids open for more than a few seconds. He didn't feel dizzy or like he needed pass out... he was just sleepy.

A loud sound jerked him out of his fatigued state... the door was flung open. Spence felt JJ's warm arms protectively tighten around him. They helped a little, but just a little. His heart rate picked up as well as his breathing. It was time again.

"No... No..." JJ muttered, holding Spence close.

"You have to let me go, Jayge." Spencer said as footsteps grew closer and closer. This only caused Jayge to hold him tighter. She took in a shaky breath and just kept repeating the same thing: No, no, no, no...

The silhouette of the man approached the bars of the cell and he pulled out a key. Evie's voice sounded from her cell as well.

"No... No, please... Spencer!" she called out. Reid watched as the door opened with so much forced it flew against the wall with a loud bang, making him flinch.

"Shhh... Evie, it'll be okay." he said. The room tensed more and more every second as the unsub stepped in the cell. JJ was shaking underneath him, one arm around his chest and the other around his waist.

"It's time." the unsub whispered. JJ bent down and pressed her forehead against Spencer's own and held onto him so tightly it was hurting him.

"No! No, you can't take him!" she protested. She had done a pretty good job at staying stable up until now, but Spence knew she held it in. Now she was crying and frantically gripping his bare arms where he had never put his shirt back on because it hurt too much.

The unsub didn't have patience. He reached forward and wrapped a strong hand around Spencer's bicep, yanking him hard away from Jayge. JJ shrieked, but held on tight, making Spencer grunt in pain. He didn't fight though. He didn't have the strength.

"Take me, take me..." she said through shaky breaths. Spencer held her wrist and looked into her eyes.

"JJ... It's okay..." Spencer whispered. Her red eyes looked back and him. She shook her head with a terrified gaze painted on her face. "Let me go, Jay Jayge."

JJ stared at him for a moment, unable to speak. Spence just didn't want her to get hurt. Sure he was scared out of his mind and there was no way he wanted to go back into that room where he was beaten senseless just an hour before, but he had to. If he didn't, someone else could be hurt.

With a final jerk of the arm by the unsub pulled Spencer out of JJ's grasp and onto the cement floor. He involuntarily gasped from the pain shooting up his spine. His time on the cold floor was short lived as the man grabbed him by his biceps once more and yanked him up to his feet. He could barely stand, but managed with the way the unsub dragged him up and out of the jail cell.

"Spence?" Evie whimpered as Spencer stumbled by her cell. Her eyes were read, tears brimming her eyes. Her hair was touseled and her hands were white from the way she gripped the bars.

'I love you' he mouthed to her. She let out a heartbroken sob and bit her bottom lip to keep from crying more.

'I love you too' she mouthed back. That was all Spencer needed.

Within the next two minutes, the new session started. Spencer had been forced to kneel in the center of the room again. He waited for the impact in his abdomen again and for the kicking to start, but it didn't. Instead, the unsub walked around the room, whistling the same eerie tune he always did. It wasn't until the unsub was out of sight and silent when Spencer really freaked out. He felt his body racked with excessive shaking as he awaited in the tense silence.

Out of no where, a rope with the diameter a bit larger than pencil wrapped around his neck and was tightened to the point where the air was taken from Reid altogether. Insinctively, he grasped at the rope tightening around his throat and despereately tried to pull it away but it was wrapped securely. Images flashed through Spence's mind. Mostly images of Evie. Her smile, her laughing, her gorgeous eyes... All flashing through his head as he recieved less and less oxygen with each passing second. He couldn't get enough...

As black spots began to appear and the only noise left was the sound of Spencer's helpless wheezing and Evie's cried from behind the door, the rope was thankfully lifted and Reid gasped in the sweetest air he has ever breathed. He pulled more and more air in, never slowing his gasps as he cowered on the ground. He didn't care about the unsub in the corner, making notes on his notepad. He didn't care that the way he was lying on the ground was sending shooting spikes of pain up his side, he just needed to breathe.

Unfortunately it only a few moment until the unsub wanted to continue. This time Spence was yanked up by his hair and shoved against the rough texture of the cinder block wall. His head slammed into it, making him dizzy. It didn't help when the unsub pushed his hands to wrap around his neck and strangle him by hand himself. Spencer's eyes rolled back as he writhed against the wall and tried to pull in air.

"Spence!" he heard distance shrieking. It all sounded muffled to him. The strong hands on his neck dug their fingers into his skin, undoubtably leaving bruising and closing up his air passageway. Reid's thoughts all left him and the only thing he could think was, I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'll never get to marry Evie, or have beautiful children with her, or grow old with her... I'm going to die...

Everything faded, even the awful burning of his lungs and throat. The black spots came back and swarmed in his vision. The gray ceilings he was looking up at blurred further in his vision and suddenly he wanted to go. He wanted to fade away. He wanted to sleep. Spencer's thoughts drifted and suddenly he didn't know why he was trying to stay awake. He was so tired. He needed to sleep. He was going to go to sleep.

Reid began letting the darkness consuming, drifting into a peaceful abyss. That was, until he heard her voice. He heard her cries in the distance, calling his name. Evie. He wasn't getting any oxygen to his brain so he couldn't quite think of why she was upset, but she was. And something in his mind told him he needed to not fall asleep, no matter how much he wanted to give in. He had to stay awake. For her.

All at once, the pressure lifted from his neck and Spencer slid to the ground, gasping for air and clutching at his neck. It felt like someone had put a huge metal ball in his throat that was ripping it apart from the inside and not letting him get the air he needed. Spencer's thoughts swarmed back to him and the black spots faded once more, leaving Spencer shaking uncontrollably on the ground while the unsub went back to his corner to take more notes. The man began whistling the same tune; the same tune that whenever Spencer heard it, it seemed like all hope was lost. He wasn't sure how much longer he could put up with this kind of torture. The beating had been bad, but to be restricted from air to the point of passing out, only to be brought back again for the same thing to happen later was in a way even worse. He wanted it to end, he wanted to give in but he had something worth fighting for.

"I must say, your determination is impeccable, Dr." the voice that Spencer had come to despise said.

"What do you want." Spencer tried to say as forcefully as possible. It only came out as a strained whisper. It still felt like he was choking, like he couldn't pull enough air into his lungs.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you. You're throat is already damaged enough. Not that it will matter in the end. Your choice." The unsub said plainly. Spencer sucked in a shaky breath as he tried to push himself up off the floor, but he only fell back down again, the side of his head hitting the floor. He'd groan but he didn't have the power. To make matters worse, the unsub stuffed the notepad back into his pocket and was watching Spencer. Reid looked over at the digital clock on the floor. 1:06. He still had nine minutes left to survive. Then he'd have forty five minutes before the next round of torture began, every time different from the previous. The whole process was terrifyingly, perfectly organized. Like Spence had no control.

Spence felt a hand at the back of his neck. It gripped the hair at the nape of his neck and began dragging him to a tub of water at the other end of the room. It still had ice floating at the top. Spencer guessed this was part of the suffocation routine. Although his physical strength was at an all time low and he was unable to show any type of protest, his insides screamed in agony. He didn't want anymore, he didn't know how much more he could take. It didn't matter how much he tried to hold back tears or how much he prayed to God to make it stop, soon Spence was forced headfirst into the icecold water, all the air taken once again.

He held his breath as long as he could, but after a certain amount of time he couldn't take it. Spencer sucked in burning, ice cold water, filling his lungs with the awful air depriving fluid. His strength to fight came in and he struggled against the unsub, trying to wrestle free of the hand holding down the back of his neck but it was no use. He wasn't any Morgan even before he was beaten, but after he stood no chance. The familiar feeling of losing himself to unconcsiousness took over Reid once more, the burning kept searing his throat and lungs. He screamed out, only a muffled yell underwater. It was the last sound he heard before he was completely gone into a deep sleeping darkness. How much more could he endure?

**A/N: Thank you so much to my avid readers, followers, and commenters! I JUST FOUND OUT SPENCER LIKES ARNOLD PALMER, I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE TO LOVE HIM ANYMORE BUT I WAS WRONG**


	18. A Kind of Nostalgia

** "Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present."** **~John Green**

Evie watched as the door banged open again. The second session was over. It had surprised her at first when instead of the beating the unsub inflicted on Spencer the first time, he had nearly choked him to death. Then she remembered the pictures of the other victims. There was no single type of torture with this unsub, he was going to try it all. The thought made Evie sick, and if she had anything to eat earlier she may have thrown up her stomach contents, but lately it has just fallen to the point where she huddled in her cell in tears, gagging since there was nothing left to come up.

The unsub appeared in the doorway, dragging Spencer the same way as he had after the first session, but this time he was soaked and still had no shirt on. The blood was completely washed away from his bruises and open wounds on his chest and ribs. There was a deep gash in his skin from his left hip to the bottom of his rib cage that was cleaned up so that Evie could perfectly see it. As the unsub dragged an unconscious Spence by her cell, she expected him to keep going, but he didn't. The unsub stopped in front of the bars of her room and held Spencer up with one arm to fish out his keys with another. Evie could hear her heartbeat and feel it against her chest. It was her turn. She could hold Spence and take care of him now.

The door clanked open and with a grunt, the unsub hoisted Reid through the threshold. Evelyn gasped as he nearly hit the ground, but her instincts kicked in before her mind and she rushed forward to catch him. He was freezing cold from his waist up, his hair soaked and matted on his forehead. His lips had the faintest tint of blue if you looked close enough, but the worst part was… he wasn't breathing.

"Spence?" Evie called his name, not even acknowledging the unsub who snarled at her before slamming the door shut. Spencer didn't respond. He didn't even move. She knew it couldn't be good. She had watched the unsub hold him underwater while he struggled. After a little over a minute, he didn't struggle anymore. The unsub yanked him out, pressed on his stomach a few times with rough compressions until Spencer coughed out water. Then once Evie watched Spencer regain his air back on the TV screen, the unsub did it all over again. He had done it four times in total. Now Reid wasn't breathing or moving.

Evie frantically pressed two fingers underneath his jawline, feeling for a pulse. Her heart skipped a beat when she couldn't find one at first, but suddenly she felt it. It was faint but she felt it.

"Oh my god, oh my god…" she whimpered, lying Spencer on the ground so he was on his back. "He's not breathing and his pulse is fading! What do I do!" she asked, her voice about to break into sobs instead.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, Ev. Do you know how to deliver chest compressions?" Morgan's voice called from his place across the hall. Evie squeezed her eyes shut and remembered back to her FBI training. She nodded her head.

"Yes, yes…"

"Deliver thirty. Remember to keep it at the right pace." Hotch's voice joined in. Evie realized her hands were shaking as she got up on her knees and kneeled over Spencer's lifeless body. She pressed the shaking heel of her palm into the middle of his chest, placing the other on top. She pushed as hard as she could, which at this point, wasn't very hard. Spencer jerked with her movements as she kept going, counting in her head.

One… Two… Three… Four…

"You're going to have to press down harder than that, sweetheart." Morgan said, eyeing her from behind his bars. Evie let out a half breath half sob noise and nodded. She kept her compressions going, watching Spencer's face for any signs of life as she did. He was so pale… so… dead looking.

All of the sudden, at 17 compressions, Evie felt Spencer's chest contract on its own as he coughed. Evie retracted her hands, holding them in the air as she froze and stared at him as he turned onto his side, hacking up water contents from his lungs. Evie only waited to the last second once his coughing was done to throw herself on top of Reid, wrapped her arms tightly around his damaged body. He groaned in pain, but wrestled an arm free from her grasp to hug her back.

Evie let tears slip down her cheeks feeling Spencer shake uncontrollably from under her. She kissed his cold skin on his bare shoulder and then sat back up. She took Spence's hand and helped him sit up only so he could huddle back up in her lap. She lied her back against the cinder block wall. Yes, it was cold and rough and uncomfortable, but she didn't care. Spencer lied his head on her shoulder, his wet hair soaking through her shirt but she didn't mind that either. She held his shivering body close to hers, binding him in her arms and letting her legs tangle with his.

Once Evie began to stroke through his wet matted hair, she noticed there was a new kind of shaking. It wasn't from the cold. She looked down to see Spencer burying his head in her neck to obscure her view. She knew he'd never let her see him cry in a situation like this, but nonetheless it broke her heart. Evie closed her eyes and held on to him tight, rubbing his back and being careful not to hit any sore spots.

"It'll be okay…" she whispered. She didn't know how she could go from a hysterical crying mess from one moment to someone who was so composed and comforting the next. The sight of Spencer so broken on the inside and out like that triggered a new strength and determination in her to be there for him.

"I- I don't know how much more I can put up with." Spencer whispered into her skin. Evie felt tears well up in her eyes and the need to cry fill her throat. She kissed his hair, his forehead, his shoulder, his jaw, his shoulder blade… Everywhere she could where she could reach from the way they sat.

"Don't say that." She whispered as she gave him light kisses all over his bare skin. Spencer took a shaky breath in and Evie could feel tears fall on her shoulder. She had never felt her heart break as much as it did then. Her Spencer was being tortured to the point of death. His spirits were breaking, as well as his body. Soon there'd be nothing left. She couldn't let them both be hopeless however. Without hope, there is no chance of anything.

"Evelyn." He said, using her full name in which he only did on rare occasions. "You… You need to listen to me. Can you do that?" He asked, pulled back from her shoulder to look her in the eyes. Tears collected at the edges of his eyes as well, threatening to spill over his face at any time. Evie frowned at him but nodded, staring into his soft brown eyes. "If anything were to happen…"

"Spence…"

"When I die…"

"Spencer!"

"I need you to promise me that you'll move on. I need you to promise me that you'll let me go and let yourself be happy without me. You need to know that I'll always love you, but you can't stop living your life." Spencer continued, ignoring her protests. Evie stared at him in horror. Did he even hear what he was saying? How could he think like that? "You're going to find someone who makes you just as happy. You're going to find…" Spencer suddenly hissed in a pained breath and held his side where it looked like a rib was out of place. He took a moment to regain his composure and then continued. "You're going to find someone who you'll make just as happy as you made me."

"Spencer, please stop." She was finally able to choke out. Spencer looked at her sadly and kissed her forehead.

"Please promise me." He whispered. Evie shook her head wildly.

"No. Stop." She said.

"Evie…"

"Spence, please!'Evie cried out, not even attempting to hold back the sobs anymore. Spencer cringed, looking guilty for making her cry. "If you keep talking like that, how do you expect yourself to survive? Do you even care?" she asked between desperate sobs. Spencer kissed her forehead and eased back into her arms, lying on her chest.

"I'm sorry, Evs. Of course I do. We have a whole future waiting ahead of us, don't we?" he said, starting to talk more optimistically. Evie sighed, forcing herself to stop crying. She didn't know if he was only saying that to make her feel better or if he really believed it, but either way it was better than how he was talking before.

"Yeah…" was all she could whisper out. Her breaths were shaky from sobbing, so she just held Spencer and hid her face in his hair, not caring how soaked it was.

"Do you want our wedding to be in the Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall?" he asked quietly. Evie smiled at his random wedding planning, but she knew that he knew how to make her feel better. It took her mind of the fact that things weren't at all okay, and that maybe they wouldn't ever make it to their wedding. Evie tried not to think about it and tried to imagine them at home, huddled together like they are now, talking about their wedding by a fire instead of in a cold cell in some abandoned prison.

"Summer. I want it to be outside with nature." She whispered. Spencer nodded into her chest.

"What about your wedding dress?"

"Sleeveless, long, flowy, lacy." She said, closing her eyes and imagining it in her head.

"You sound like you've thought about this before." Spencer chucked into her skin. Evie let herself smile just a bit as she nodded.

"We'll have white chairs… and an archway with vines. will be everywhere. That's my favorite flower, you know."

She could feel Spencer smirk as he planted soft kisses on her collar bone. "Yes, yes I know." He said. She knew he did. Sometimes he'd randomly surprise her with them when he'd come home from the store, or even sometimes out on a case he'd find them. Her heart fell for a moment when she thought about never getting flowers from Spencer again…

"What about afterwards?" he asked. Evie took a deep breath and kept her mind focused away from where they really were and put herself in her imagination's view of their wedding. She imaged sitting out in Rossi's backyard. She'd only been there once, but Rossi explained how he loved to throw every kind of celebration for the team there, from JJ's wedding, to Strauss's funeral night.

"In Rossi's backyard. It'll have lit up lanterns and lights everywhere. In the trees, in the garden, on the patio. Henry and Jack will be running around playing in the yard as we drink . That's-"

"Your favorite wine, I know." Spencer said, laughing slightly but soon only to cough instead. Evie bit her lip and tried to keep from crying as she carried on.

"Then we'd have our first dance as a married couple. And we'll have really good deserts too!"

"Chocolate pretzels?" Spencer asked, knowingly.

"You know me so well." She smiled. Somehow it made her sad though.

"What about our kids?" he asked. Evie noticed an extra sad pang to his voice when she asked. She knew it was a soft spot for him. He'd always wanted kids of his own, JJ told him about how bad he's been wanting a family lately.

"I don't know… What do you think? How many?" she asked, kissing his forehead. Spencer took a deep breath and sighed hot breath down her neck as he thought.

"However many you want."

"Two." She said immediately. Spencer took his arms out from where they were crossed in between their bodies and wrapped them around Evie. She guessed he was a little bit warmer now that he was willing to do that. He still shivered though, that was something Evie couldn't ignore.

"If we have a girl, her name has to be Charlotte." Spencer mumbled, fatigue lining his voice. Evie looked down at him with a confused look on her face as she chuckled lightly.

"That's my middle name." she said, although she already knew he knew. She was just wondering why he seemed so set on the idea.

"I know, and I love it." He said. Evie smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Okay. Charlotte it is."

"And for boys?" he asked. "And before you ask, no we aren't doing William." He said, referring to his own middle name.

"Why do we get to use my middle name, but not yours?" she asked.

"No. Just no." he said, smiling. Evie shook her head and smiled. He was weird, but she loved his weird. "Plus it'd get too confusing with two Will's running around."

"Good point." She said. "I'll think over the boy's name." Spencer nodded and leaned in to kiss Evie's neck. It was then when Evelyn realized everything else was silent. She had nearly forgotten the rest of the team in the other cell's around her. They'd all been listening to every word they were saying. A solemn feeling hung heavy in the air. It felt like it had been forever since they got there, but in reality, Evie knew it had been only a few hours. Not even three yet.

"I love you." Evie whispered as Spencer continued pressing his lips against her neck.

"I love you too." He whispered back.

The rest of the forty five minutes was spent with Evie and Spencer talking about their future. They described the house they'd get, where their kids would go to school, how they'd make as much time as they could in between their jobs at the FBI, wherever Evie may end up after her internship.

Once the time was up, Evie felt like someone was stabbing at her heart. It couldn't have been only forty five minutes! The whole duration of their time there had gone by so slow, how had that forty five minutes flown by so fast? The door opened from the end of the hallway and the echoing clicks of the unsub's shoes filled the air, making their way down to Evie's cell where she clung to Spencer.

"Evie, sweetie. I don't want you to get hurt." Spence said, pulling away from her.

"No, no, no! Please, please." She muttered to no one in particular. She had a tight grip on his wrist and around his back and she wasn't letting go.

The unsub unlocked the door and threw it open.

"Three o'clock, Dr." he whispered as he lunged for Spencer. Evie put up quite the fight, despite Spencer telling her to calm down. She held onto Reid as tightly as she could, even when the unsub tried to pry him from her grasp with all of the strength he had. In the end, the unsub took hold of Evie's hair causing her to lose grip. With the time he had as an advantage, the unsub yanked Spencer away, Evie screaming and watching him be dragged away once again.

"Evie, please, I can't stay calm if you can't stay calm." Garcia said, her voice higher than usual as she tried not to cry.

"Breath, sweetheart." Morgan added in. The team took their turns trying to calm her. It worked a little, but just a little. How could she be calm when Spencer was headed into another round of torture that he may not make it back from?

A/N: Sorry it's a shorter one, I wanted to get it up quickly! Plus it goes along with my outline, so I'll start the next one right away! Thanks for all the comments and votes and reads!


	19. To the End

** "And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time."**

**~Jesus Christ**

Spencer was thrown into yet another cell, barely concsious. His eyes barely opened and then closed again as he tried to see who he was thrown in with this time, but he just couldn't get past the pain.

Reid's back was completely seared this time around. The unsub pulled him into the room once more and tied him to an old wooden beam near the other end of the room. He had tied Spencer's hands up so that he couldn't see what the unsub was doing behind him. Spencer had heard the crackle of fire however, and heard the sound of ashes and coals sifting around. Once he had listened to that, he knew this time would be worse than both of the first two.

The first time the unsub pushed the hot stoker into Spencer's back, he thought he'd die right there. Never ever in his life had he ever felt so much pain. He could smell the awful scent of burning flesh and see smoke rise from around him. He felt his skin become mutilated more and more by the second.

He hadn't lasted too long on that session. He didn't know how far the stoker sunk into him, but the excrutiating pain was too much. The entire time he spent fading in and out, hoping to just fade out for good so that he could escape. He had tried so hard not to scream, but it didn't end up working. For most of the fifteen min

"Oh my god..." Spencer heard, bringing him back to present time in the new cell he was thrown into. Garcia. "Reid... Reid, are... are you okay?" she stuttered, making her way to his side. Spencer squeezed his eyes shut and cringed.

"Not really..." he groaned. Spencer tried to roll onto his back from his side but that was a bad idea. Shooting stabbing pains shot through his back, causing him to jerk back onto his side.

"Don't... don't move..." Penelope stuttered. She moved to the side of his burns and gasped. She covered her mouth as tears cascaded down her cheeks. "Oh dear god..."

"Garcia. Garcia, baby. Listen carefully to my instructions." Morgan's voice came. Spencer was hearing less and less however as he faded out and in more and more.

"He's falling asleep! Or losing consciousness, or... or dying, I don't know!" Garcia cried out.

"I'm not dying." Spencer croaked, his throat sore from the screaming out.

"Stay awake, Pretty Boy." Derek said. He tried to focus on Morgan's voice, or Garcia's heavy breathing, or even Evie's quiet crying that was hurting his chest. It wasn't working. It sounded like he was underwater and when he could find the strength to open his eyes, everything was in slow motion like he was underwater.

"I- I can't..." Spencer was just barely able to whisper as darkness consumed him.

Sometime later, he didn't know how long it was, Spencer woke up again. He half expected himself to be back in his bed, wrapped up in Evie. He felt hair on his shoulder, and at first he wondered if it was Evie, but then he realized it didn't feel like Evie's hair at all. Spencer forced his eyes open and looked up to see that he was slumped against a cold wall, Garcia's arm around the back of his shoulders. His head rested on her shoulder that shook along with her sobs. He felt a cloth around his back and looked down to see Garcia's sweater jacket tied tightly around his chest, more so around his back.

"Oh my god, Spencer?" she asked, craning her head to the side to look Reid in the eyes.

"Yeah..." he groaned, shifting into a more comfortable position. Garcia tightened her arm around him and put a hand on his far shoulder.

"Do- do you need anything?" she asked. "I mean, I can't give you much because we are stuck in a jail cell. I mean that was obvious in the first place, but I just feel so bad, and..."

"Garcia..." Spencer interupted. "You've done enough. Thank you." he said sincerely, looking into her red eyes. He was tired of the tears, and the sobs, and the gasps... all created by him. Sometimes he wanted to just let himself die. He wanted to just escape the pain, but never in a million years would he ever leave Evie or any of his team for that matter. Reid took a deep breath and tried to think of Emily. He thought of her figuring out the case, doing everything she could to find them. It had been almost four hours by now. She had to be close, shouldn't she?

"How are you feeling?" she asked hesitantly, as if she was scared to know the answer. Spencer let his head fall on her shoulder again.

"I've been better."

"How is he?" Spencer heard Evie's voice echo off the walls.

"Evie..." he whispered, trying with all of his might to push himself off the wall so he could crawl over to the bars to see her across the hall.

"Hey, no..." Garcia said, trapping him there with her other arm. "You're not moving. Morgan's orders."

"It's okay, Spence. I'm here." Evie said. Reid sighed, knowing Garcia was right. By the time he'd make it to the jail bars, he'd have lost all consciousness.

"I love you." Spencer called out to her with all of his strength that was diminishing the more he spoke. He heard Evie's cute sniffle.

"I love you too."

"Alright. Dave, Morgan... It'll be one of us next if the unsub continues the pattern of putting Spencer in with us. Be ready." Hotch's voice emanated throughout the room. Rossi nodded and sighed, letting his head fall back onto the wall. The so called 'fourth session' had started after the unsub had pulled Reid out of Garcia's cell. The team were starting to notice significant changes with Spencer within the last forty five minute period with Garcia. For most of the time, he just slept there. Rossi wasn't sure if it was sleep as much as it was unconsciousness, but nonetheless, it wasn't good.

"This is insane. We can't just sit here." Morgan said through gritted teeth as the team heard another one of Spencer's screams. Evelyn let another sob escape her lips from the other side of the wall that Rossi had his back pressed against. David sighed and edged towards the bars and put his hand through, feeling Evie wrap her own cold shaking fingers around his hand.

"Remember what I told you." he murmured calmingly. He couldn't see her, but guessed Evelyn nodded from the other side. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through. Sure all of the team was hurting bad from watching Spencer suffer, but Evelyn had become closer with the kid more than anyone he's ever seen before.

"What's he doing now..." Dave risked asking after a breif period of silence.

"Lacerations. He's not... going as bad as he could be." JJ piped up, obviously trying to make the situation better than it really was. Rossi frowned thinking of the poor kid tied up, unsub with a knife in his hands, slowly making cuts into his skin. Rossi shivered and made the cross sign across his chest with the hand that wasn't holding Evelyn's. He looked up at the sky, or more at the cement ceiling, and gave a short pray for Reid.

"God, hasn't it been fifteen minutes yet! It feels like it's been going on forever." Garcia whimpered from down on the opposite side of the room. Rossi knew what she meant. Every time Spencer was dragged into that room, it seemed to get longer and longer. They all new they were dealing with a highly organized unsub so the time wasn't actually get longer, but the more they heard Spencer scream, the more time dragged on.

"Here he comes." Hotch said. All of the BAU membered moved to the edge of their holding spaces to watch the door open from the end of the hall. The white lab coat off the unsub appeared, the man inside. Throughout the duration of their entire period of captivity, no one had really gotten a good look at the unsub's face. The shadows always seemed to disguise it perfectly.

Rossi expected Reid to be unconscious like all of the other times he returned for a session. This time, he was surprised to see Spencer's eyes open as he struggled in the harsh grasp of the unsub. The criminal had a bit more difficulty hoisting Spencer while he was awake and jerking around in his grasp. Dave craned his neck to see blood dripping in a trail behind them as they moved through the threshold. The blood came from cuts on Spencer's arms. None were longer than three inches long it seemed, but that didn't make it much better. Rossi observed the reason Reid was struggling so much. His face was twisted in pain because of the unsub's tight grasp on skin that was cut open. Rossi willed the unsub to go faster in his mind, wishing for the kid to just be out of as much pain as possible.

The unsub didn't walk far. He stopped in front of Rossi's cell which was the closest to the door. Rossi stood to meet the unsub in the eyes, watching him intently with a chilling stare filled with pure hatred and anger as the man worked to open the door. He seemed to ignore Rossi, until he chuckled in a slithering chuckle.

"Staring at me won't help anything, SSA David Rossi." he said as he swung the door open. Rossi kept his gaze into his eyes anyway. The usub grabbed Spencer by the scruff of his neck and shoved him onto his knees inside of the cell. Rossi kept his hold on the unsub's eyes until he looked up to meet his gaze. A smile spread across the man's face, but Rossi wasn't quite as amused. He never stopped staring until the unsub turned and left. Once he was gone, Rossi dropped to his knees next to Spencer, timidly placing a hand on his back.

"You okay?" he asked, watching Reid bend over on his knees, trying to stay awake. Rossi cringed and took off his suit jacket and laid it on the floor. "Come here, lie down." Rossi instructed, not leaving room for objection. Spencer nodded and crawled forward, his arms eventually giving in so that he collapsed onto the jacket laid out on the ground. Rossi came to his side and looked at his cut up arms and chest.

"Jesus..." he muttered.

"How bad is it?" Evie asked in a small voice.

"Nothing that I can't manage. Nor Spencer." Rossi said, tryin to stay calm. He looked all around him. He didn't know what he expected to see in an empty cell, but he just needed something to wrap up Reid's arms in. Eventually he looked down and decided to tear the end of his dress shirt... his very expensive dress shirt, but if it meant helping Spencer, there was no hesitation.

With a ripping sound, Rossi tore a strip of cloth around the end of his dress shirt long enough to wrap and tie around Spencer's arm. His head was turned away, his chest rising and falling ith labored breaths.

"Stay with me Reid." Rossi said as he reached forward and wrapped the strip around where the cuts were most dense. He tightened it as tightly as he could, feeling guilt hit him when Spencer flinched in pain. It was worrying him how he wasn't talking. To be honest, Rossi wasn't sure Reid was all there.

"Hey... say something, kid." he said. "Talk to me."

"What am I supposed to say." he whispered, all of the life sucked from his voice. Rossi frowned as he unbuttoned the rest of his dress shirt, leaving him in his under t-shirt. Rossi took hold of the left arm of the shirt and ripped as hard as he could, tearing another strip of cloth away.

"You never run out of things to say." David said, trying to keep his the tone of voice in higher spirits than he really was in. It didn't much help Spencer's spirit's either. He just lied there still, letting Rossi tend to his wounds as he pleased.

Rossi sighed and wrapped up more of Spencer's mutilated arms. At this point, the kid didn't even flinch. He just lied there motionless. It scared Rossi half to death, but he wouldn't let it show. He wouldn't lose it for Reid's sake, and he wouldn't give the unsub satisfaction either.

The time Rossi spent in the Marine's had made it pretty easy to take care of Spencer. Within a few minutes, almost the entire length of Spencer's arms were covered in the wrap. Rossi took a deep breath and set the torn up remains of his dress shirt on the ground and looked at Spencer. He stayed like that for a while, watching Reid just lie there like he was completely defeated.

"Hey." Rossi said, lowering his voice so that Spencer turned to look at him with sad eyes. Everything about the kid just looks... broken. Rossi sat with his legs cross next to Spencer, and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Hang in there."

"A little easier said then done." Reid said, tearing his eyes away from Rossi.

"That's not the Spencer I know. The Spencer I know is so persistant to the point where sometimes it's irritating. So irritating that you have just got to love him anyway. He doesn't care, what tohers think or want for that matter. He strictly is determined for what he knows is right, and once his mind is set, there's no talking that kid down." Rossi said, going into full lecture mode. "He's been through so much, and yet he pulls through every time. Reid, it's not fair how much happens to you. But part of what makes you who you are is you never stop fighting for what you know is right. That girl on the other side of that wall, she's 'right'. And she needs you." Rossi finished. He studied Spencer's face as he diverted his eyes away from Rossi and thought about it.

"Thank you." he whispered, turning his eyes up to meet Rossi's with a renewed gleam in his eyes. Rossi smiled and patted his shoulder, forgetting how damaged he was.

"Ow."

"Sorry." Rossi said, cringing at the way Spencer's face contorted into a pained expression. He stayed with him for the entire time, not that he really could go anywhere anyway, but he talked to Spencer the entire time. He reminisced, told him about how he overheard the idea to have the wedding reception in his backyard, and how he'd take care of the wine. Spencer chuckled into a coughing fit that Rossi had to pull him out of, but other than that, they tried to just pretend like everything was okay. Rossi watched Spencer look up at the ceiling and talk about something to do with Dr. Who. Dave took a deep breath and said another short prayer for the kid. Heaven knew he probably needed it.

Emily looked over the files again, running her hands through her hair in frustration. She hadn't slept, or eaten, or thought about anything else but this case ever since she heard the whole entire team was missing. How could they ALL be gone? Just like that? Who knew if they were even okay or alive, or...

"Agent Prentiss. We think we have our guy." a man's deep voice said from the threshold of the round table room. She used to feel at home in this room, filled with nostalgia. In the past day it had become her prison as she kept looking and looking and profiling as much as she could to try and figure out something she might have missed with this unsub. The news she just recieved was even more beautiful than music to her ears.

"Good, good. Show me what you've got." she said. She turned to the agent waiting for her in the doorway and together they walked into Garcia's room full of computers. She felt a pang of hurt go through her, looking at the room that was purely Penelope. Poor thing. She was the least prepared for anything out in the field, especially being kidnapped like this.

"Alright, a similar van has been spotted around this area. There were numerous complaints for the vehicle being unfit to drive on the road. Neighbors say that they catch it going back and forth from an old abandoned prison as well. I looked at records and it says that a man bought the piece of land the prison is on a few years back with the name of Qiqiang Shen. He is... sorry, used to be... a psycologist with an impressive amount of PhD's, but eventually was pushed out of his occupation for being put in mental institutions himself. This guy is shady..." Kevin said, pulling up more files all over the computer screens. Emily frowned at the picture of the Chinese man on the screen.

"So this is our guy?"

"More than likely."

"How much time will it take to get there?"

"An hour and thirty four minutes if you get going now." Kevin answered smoothly. Emily nodded and walked out into the bullpen where the rest of the agents that were working on this case stood.

"Get your guns and vests... We got him."

Spencer let out another scream as electrical currents ran through his body. His back arched against the beam he was tied up to. He had wires taped all over his chest, attached to a different machine behind Reid that he couldn't see. The unsub was circling him, watching Spencer writhe through the electrocutions. When they finally stopped, Spence let his head drop and his whole body went limp. His shoulders ached from the way the ropes tied around his wrists were holding him upright. His throat was dry and was starting to burn from how much he screamed.

Reid cringed as the unsub walked to stop right in front of him. He reached forward, making Spencer flinch. The unsub chuckled at this and reached for his ropes tied around his wrists. After some struggle with untying the knots, the ropes unraveled from around Spence's irritated skin and he immediately fell to the ground.

"Your fifteen minutes is up." the man said. He took the wires off his chest before he grabbed each of Spencer's arms, yanking him up a bit so he could begin dragging him backwards. Spencer groaned and stayed limp, letting the unsub do whatever he wanted. He wasn't able to fight anymore. He wasn't able to move or even cringe against the pain that surged all over his body. He wished he could, but he was too weak. Spencer closed his eyes and let his head fall down so his chin hit his chest. It wouldn't be long now. He just kept getting weaker. There was no way he'd survive through much more of this.

This time, Spence ended up in Hotch's cell. He was falling into darkness as soon as he hit the floor. He could hear Hotch calling to him, but it sounded distance. Spencer felt the top half of his body being lifted off the floor and wrapped in a suit jacket, most liketly Hotch's. His chest still burned like the electric shocks were still going through him. At some point, Spencer couldn't quite even tell the difference. Was he completely going insane?

"Reid! Reid, can you here me?" Aaron's voice said from what seemed like a million miles away. Spencer frowned and tried to force his eyes open. The gray cement walls and ceiling filled his vision before he shut them once again.

"Ye- Yeah..." he stuttered. Just the amount of energy it took to say that was draining enough to nearly cause Spencer to pass out. He felt Hotch's arm around his back that was covered with his suit jacket. Hotch leaned Spencer's body against the wall, keeping his arm around the back of his shoulders like Garcia had done when he had been thrown into her cell.

"Keep talking to me, Reid." Hotch's voice said, sounding like he was underwater. Spencer groaned and opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't get any words out.

"I-" he managed. Spencer took a few breaths after that, trying to conjure more energy to talk. He swallowed, feeling the effects of how dry his throat was and tried again. "I'm not strong enough." he whispered so softly that he could barely even hear his own voice. Hotch gently shook Spencer's shoulders as he began falling deeper into a strange abyss.

"Stay awake, Spencer." he demanded. Reid could still hear the obvious tremor in his voice though. Spence wanted to, but he just couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't even imagine another session. It'd be his last. With that in mind, Spencer let himself give up the fight for consciousness. He heard Hotch yelling for him to open his eyes, but it was the last thing he heard before he passed out.

When Spencer woke up again, everything was hazy. His head was spinning even worse than before. He squinted against the light, taking all of his effort to reach out for Hotch, but he couldn't move his arm. It hurt too much, plus his wrists were tied together and bent in front of him so they lied on his chest.

"Hotch?" he croaked, turning his head to look for him to find out that he wasn't in a cell at all. He was back in the bigger room. The room he learned to hate more than any other place on Earth. The floors were still stained with his own blood and the ropes still hung on the beam where he had just been hung up a while ago. Now Spencer lied on the floor, alone and tied up. The unsub was no where in sight as far as he could see, but Reid could barely open his eyes anyway. He guessed that he had passed out through the entire duration of the forty five minutes with Hotch. He was also unsure if he had imagined him wrapping his jacket around Spence, but either way it wasn't there anymore. His bare back lied hard across the cold floor, nothing to protect him.

Reid's heart pounded as he awaited whatever would come next. He couldn't even think of which session it was now. 6, maybe? If it was the sixth session then it was six o'clock and they'd been there for about six hours. It had taken Spencer six hours of torture before his body couldn't take it anymore. He knew that he wouldn't make it past this round. There was just no way.

Out of no where, Spencer felt his right shoulder suddenly sting to the point of where it felt like a billion of needles were stabbing him. He could actually hear a sizzling sound in his ear as he felt his flesh burn. Spencer screamed and arched his back, his eyes squeezing shut tightly. When the stinging went down, he opened his eyes to see the silhouette of the unsub leaning over him with a dropper of clear liquid. Spencer had no idea of what exactly was in it, but it most definitely was an acid that was currently burning his right shoulder. Spencer let tears escape his eyes despite his efforts not to let them. All of the pain throughout his body was deafening to all of his thoughts and senses. He felt himself slipping from reality, and not just to pass out this time. With a pang in his chest, he realized that if he fell asleep again, this time he wouldn't wake up.

The unsub smiled evily down at him as if he knew this. He took the dropper and held it over Spencer's chest, about to let the last few fatal drops fall. As his hand reached for the dropper, and as Spencer whispered Evie's name one last time, there was a loud bang. The door flung open from behind the unsub and a familiar voice rang out.

"FBI!"

**A/N: Thank you so much for the super nice reviews! **


	20. Holding On and Letting Go

** "Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."**

**~Hermann Hesse**

"Reid!"

"Spencer... Spencer, listen to my voice."

"Come on, squeeze my hand Reid."

Spencer heard so many voices yelling at him in the distance that he couldn't keep them all straight. Emily's voice came first as soon as the silhouettes of agents pulled the unsub away in handcuffs. After that, Spencer couldn't keep his eyes open. He felt Emily tentatively touch his shoulder around his wounds. There were other shouts in the background as the rest of the team was freed from being held captive, but one voice that rang out in Spencer's ears was Evie screaming his name. He heard Rossi trying to shout over her voice, probably to calm her down. God, he hoped she would calm down. He'd never forgive himself for dying on her like this.

"Reid, come on my man." Derek's voice joined in. He felt the presence of Emily on his left side and Morgan on his right. There were other people around him, but Spencer didn't bother to guess who they were. He wanted to just let himself go right there, but he needed to at least say one last thing.

"Morgan..." he whispered, opening his eyes just a bit enough to see Morgan's dark eyes looking down at him.

"Yeah, I'm here Reid. Hang on, the medics are on their way."

"I-" he tried to talk, not even knowing what he was going to say at first. Spence squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before trying again. "Promise me... pr-"

"Yeah, anything Reid. You can tell me later, you need to save your strength." Morgan said in a deep smooth voice. Spencer shook his head. Didn't he understand there most likely wouldn't be a later?

"Promise me you'll take care of her." he said, completely out of breath. Spencer saw Emily look up at Morgan's face with horrified eyes. Morgan glanced at her before looking down at Spencer with concerned eyes.

"I don't need to, Reid. You're gonna do that." Morgan said, but Reid ignored him.

"Tell... tell her I love her. And JJ... tell her I love her and tell Henry I love him and all of the team and I love both of you too..." Spencer rambled mindlessly.

"Reid... Reid, stop. You're going to be fine." Morgan said. It was too late though. Spencer had said what he needed to and now nothing was left to do but let the darkness consume him, so that's exactly what he did. Emily was screaming his name, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on her voice. He thought of Evie and the smell of her hair, the taste of her lips, the feel of her skin. It filled him with warmth and peace as he let himself drift just as he heard someone yell out;

"The medics have arrived!"

Evie's knees gave out while standing in the hallway of the room with the cells. Rossi caught her, wrapping an arm around her back and holding her upright. The FBI had just arrived during Spence's sixth session with the unsub, but they may have been to late. They wouldn't let her through, why wouldn't they let her through?

"Hey, calm down, kid." Rossi said calmly in her ear. Evie let tears fall down her face as medics swarmed in behind her, rushing through the crowd of agents to get to Spencer who was lying motionless on the concrete floor. She could just barely make out his torn jeans from where she stood but that was all. She didn't even know if he was still breathing.

"Oh my god, oh my god, is he dead? He- he can't be dead, he can't be dead, he can't be-"

"Evie, it'll be alright. Come on," Rossi said, taking her arm and leading her down the other end of the hallway.

"No! I have to see him! Why won't you let me see him?" she shrieked, trying to break free of his grasp. She slipped her arm out of Rossi's grip for a moment, pushing through two agents and going for the room where they crowded around Spencer, but an arm shot out and caught her in the abdomen, stopping her in her tracks.

"Lawrence, you need to let the medics do their job." Hotch said as he restrained her. Morgan pushed the crowd and showed up to put a strong and heavy hand on Evelyn's shoulder.

"Come on, sweetheart." he said. She didn't want to listen though. Her baby was in there all broken on the inside of that room, possibly dying and she wasn't there beside him. She nearly was tempted to try to shove Hotch and Morgan aside to get there, but she knew she wouldn't be able to even if she treid. Evie just struggled against Hotch's strong arm and Derek's strong hand on her shoulder.

"Please, please, I have to see him..." she kept repeating over and over again, half sobbing and half breathing in fast bursts of air. Voices tried to talk sense into her but she blocked all of them out and only focused on the pounding sound of her heart. At one point she could hear a deep voice from inside the room yelling,

"He's coating!" which made her fight even harder. She eventually felt Morgan's strong arms wrap around her waist and lift her into their air against his chest so she couldn't touch the foor. She tried to push him away, her hands on his shoulder when she could reach it, her legs kicking out, but he was much too strong for her. He held her tightly and carried her out into a new hallways she's never seen before, but she didn't pay much attention.

"Morgan, let me go!" she shrieked, kicking and fighting the entire walk to the giant front brass doors. Morgan ignored her screaming and protests and continued to forcefully move her outside. The cold air hit her skin as they pushed through the doors. It was somewhat of a method of shocking her out of her freak out session. Instead, she let her body go limp as she was consumed with sobs. Once at the closest FBI SUV, Morgan set her down and wrapped his muscle built arms around her torso, pulling a crying Evie into his firm chest. Evelyn let herself fall against him and just cry as he held her and rubbed her back soothingly. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the rest of the team gather around them, watching the doors for something.

Turning to see what they were all watching, Evie saw men dressed in white pulling out a stretcher with Spencer lying lifelessly on top. One medic held an oxygen mask to his mouth and another was pressing a cloth to a large spot of blood on Spence's chest. His eyes were closed, not even fluttering a bit. They wheeled him past where the team stood and carried him into the ambulance.

"Is he going to be okay?" Evie whispered into Morgan's chest. He let her go just for Garcia to throw her arms around Evie so both of them could hold eachother and cry.

"Yes, yes of course he will." Garcia said, but it sounded like she was trying to assure herself just as much as Evie. She nodded even though no one knew if it was going to be true. She felt Rossi's hand on her shoulder and JJ squeeze her hand. It gave her strength having both her and Spencer's friends there, but nothing could hide the fact that he wasn't okay.

"Excuse me..." a medic said, running over to them from the ambulance. Everyone whipped around, expecting news about Spencer.

"Agent Reid..."

"Doctor Reid." Everyone corrected at the same time. The medic looked at them strangly, but nodded.

"Right, sorry. Dr. Reid should be alright if we can get him into surgery in time. We'll be taking him to St. Daniels down the street if you'd all like to follow us there. We should have everyone checked out just in case as we arrive." The medic concluded. Evie felt a little of the overbearing weight lift off her chest, but only a little.

"Thank you very much." Hotch said, still assuming the position of leader of the team. The rest of the team nodded and then looked between each other. "Morgan, Rossi, and Lawrence in one car and the rest of you with me." Hotch ordered. They weren't technically in the field or even at work right now, but Evie somehow like the way Hotch kept things like they were at work. It gave her something to keep her mind straight as she got into the back seat with Morgan and Rossi so an agent could drive them over to the hospital.

"I'm... sorry that I was... um..." Evie tried to apologize for nearly kicking Morgan a bunch of times a moment ago, but Derek just shook his head.

"Don't you dare Evie." he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She shook with effort not to cry anymore. Morgan helped, but she wished it was Spencer's arm. She'd give anything to be in his arms at that moment. The only thing she could do now though was pray for his safety and be there by his side as soon as she could.

Once at the hospital, the team was left waiting in the waiting room. It was almost seven pm at this point, and Spencer was rushed into surgery as soon as they arrived. Emily had insisted she waited with them for when Reid got out. The silence of the room was biting and felt heavy on everyone's chests. Occasionally you could hear a sniffle out of JJ, Evie, or Garcia, but other than that the first five minutes were completely soundless.

"Do... Do you know what Spence told me last Christmas when I asked what he wanted?" JJ softly spoke up, breaking the silence. The team turned to her. No one said anything so she smiled sadly, tears in her red tinted eyes. "A family." she whispered, her voice cracking as she looked down at the ground. The air was mixed with emotions after that, both happy and sad. Evie smiled despite herself at how adorable that story was. She just wished she could make it happen someday.

"Have you guys ever heard his Clint Eastwood alter ego?" Garcia spoke up, tears still on her face. Behind her tears there was a reminiscing smile however. Morgan chuckled and shook his head.

"He'll surprise you." he said, making everyone smile.

"Has he ever told you about how he hit a home run in our game against the secret service?" Hotch asked, causing everyone to turn to Evie. She wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head as Morgan launched into a long story about Spencer's past with sports and how nervous he was during an FBI baseball game that he ended up hitting the winning homerun for. Evie found herself actually laughing even though tears never left her eyes. She was so grateful for all the stories they told about Spence. She gave her fair share of stories as well that surprised the team. From surprising her with dinners on rooftops to all the things he tells her daily, the team had no idea he had the ability to be that romantic.

"So um... it's almost been an hour." Emily said after everyone settled down from laughing about Morgan's elevator story about him and Reid getting cuaght in an old one during a case. Everyone quited down after that, smiles faded from their faces.

"If he wasn't okay, they'd have told us by now." Rossi assured everyone. JJ moaned and dropped her face into her hands.

"I can't get the sound of him screaming out of my head." she mumbled. Evie felt her chest tightened. She knew exactly what she meant.

"Agents?" a voice came from behind them near the swinging set of doors. The team turned to see a man dressed in blue scrubs approach them with a clip board. He looked under the first sheet of paper and read a couple of things before looking up at the anxiously awaiting team. Evie's heart pounded in her ears. The news he was about to give could change her life forever. She just hoped it was in the good way.

"Yes?" Garcia finally asked, urging the doctor on.

"Dr. Reid should be alright..."

"Should?" Evie asked, her voice raising two octaves. The doctor ignored her and continued.

"We have him sedated right now. The surgery was successful, but he was obviously left with some pretty severe damage. He has multiple second and third degree burns on his back, a broken rib, a fractured wrist, severe bruises, and some deep cuts that'll leave faint scars after the long healing process." he finished after listing a million of wounds Spencer has acquired. Evie let out a long breath of relief and buried her head in her hands. She felt Emily rub her back from the chair besides her.

"Can we see him?" Em asked, speaking for them all. Evie looked up to see the doctor nod. Evie quickly stood up, immediatly making her way for the double doors leading to an all white hallway lined with rooms. The team walked quickly to catch up with her, the doctor as well to show them to the right room.

"He's in room 304. The doctor said, pointing to the room coming up on their left. Evie turned into it, her eyes instantly falling on the thin mass sleeping on the hospital bed on the other side of the room. Spencer looked so fragile lying there in that moment. They clothed him in a hospital gown, and one of his wrists was wrapped in a tight bandage, most likely his fractured one. His left eye had light bruising underneath. There was bandage tape over his right eyebrow where Evie remembered a cut had been earlier. She would've thought he was dead if it wasn't for the slightest rise and fall of the blankets across his chest.

Evie moved to his side slowly, taking in more and more of his broken body. His hair was ruffled and partially splayed over his pillow. She wanted to just break down and cry right there, but she held it together and pulled up a chair next to his bed, not even noticing how the team stood in the doorway, giving her space.

"Hi Spence..." she whispered even though she knew that he couldn't hear her. She looked at his slightly parted lips, tracing the curve of them with her eyes. She watched as his eyes just barely moved under his eyelids, making her smile just a bit. Evie hesitantly reached forward and stroked his hair away from his face that she just realized was getting pretty long lately. She did this for a while, just savoring in being able to be there with Spencer who was thankfully alive.

"You guys can come in." she softly said, turning to look at the team who was intently watching her from the threshold. Rossi was the first to smile and enter, going to stand by Evie. He looked at Reid as the others came to stand by them as well. Garcia was the first to lean down and kiss him on the forehead. JJ rubbed his shoulder gently and Morgan chuckled at him while watching his best friend with affection. No one could argue that the relief in that room at that moment was greater then most had ever experienced.

"Um... The doctor has requested we don't have this many people in here right now." A nurse in pink scrubs said, looking in the room from the hallway. Hotch nodded and turned to the team.

"I think we could all use a nice dinner out. What do you guys think?" he asked.

"I second that." Morgan sighed, stretching his arms back tiredly. The team erupted into murmurs of agreement until Dave put a hand on Evie's shoulder.

"You coming?" he asked. Evie looked at Spencer and then back up at Rossi.

"I think I'll stay here. Thank you though." she said. Rossi nodded and everyone began to file out of the room with one last goodbye to both Spencer and Evie. Morgan was the last one to leave, and before he did, he turned.

"We'll bring you back something." he said. Evie thanked Derek and then he turned to follow the team down the hallway. As much as Evie loved their company, she did want alone time with Spencer. It didn't matter if he was in a deep sleep or awake, she'd take that over being dead. Evs looked over Spence's face, taking in all of his features. The bruises and cuts made her cringe, but under all of that it was still her Spence.

"You know you had me scared, baby." she whispered to him, scooting her chair closer to his bed to take his hand in hers. She ran her thumb along the top, leaning down to kiss his knuckles. His skin was still soft as it always was. "I miss you. I- I can't wait until you wake up so I can see you. I promise I'll be right here when you wake. Just... Just please hold on Spencer. I'm right here. I'm counting on you to come back. I... I need you, Spence. Please don't leave me. I want to wake up every morning in your arms, spend every day with the sound of your voice and fall asleep in your arms all over again. I want to walk down the aisle to have you waiting at the end and I even want to get in stupid arguments over paint colors or towel brands only to kiss and make up a moment later. I want to... to take care of your every time your sick and vise versa, and listen to your excessive facts every time you ramble, and to hold your hand while holding our first child and being able to call you the father of my children... because our children will probably be pretty damn cute." Evie rambled on, crying at this point. She sniffled and wiped away her tears.

"Just please be okay." she whispered, feeling the building up sensation in her throat. She really needed to cry but she knew if Spencer were awake right now, he wouldn't want her to. She took a deep breath instead and wrapped her arms around his own and situated herself on the chair so that she could lie her head on the pillow next to Spencer's. She kissed his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin. She could just pretend he was sleeping; he looked just like it when she would watch him sleep. His mouth was slightly parted, his breath heavy, his head lolled back. But he wasn't just sleeping. She couldn't fool herself.

"I love you." she whispered into his skin before she let her head relax next to his and finally let her tension go. She began talking in a low tone about all the things they'd do when he got better, hoping that they could do them soon.


	21. Deep Into Darkness

**"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."**

**~Edgar Allan Poe**

"I love you..." he heard Evie say. Spencer replayed the words over and over in his mind. "I love you, I love you, I love you..." , but he couldn't bring himself to say 'I love you too'. His mouth wouldn't move no matter how much he willed it to. He tried his legs, his arms, his hands, his fingers, and even his eyes, but nothing would move. He was trapped in a deep abyss filled with nothing but darkness and the sound of Evie's voice talking to him.

Where was he? What happened? Why did it sound like Evie was crying?

_Don't cry..._ Spencer thought, wanting her to hear him but knowing she couldn't. He could imagine her face as she sat next to him, her eyes red, her hair spilling over half of her face He longed to see her, to hold her, to assure her everything was going to be alright. He just couldn't move though. It ws like he was stuck in a never ending nightmare where he could reach out for Evie but he couldn't get to her. He fell just a bit short every time.

"It has to be nice and open, with nice hardwood floors." Evie said, explaining how their first house would be. Spencer smiled, not physically but mentally as he listened to her.

_And lots of bookshelves_. He thought to himself as if he were talking to her.

"There will be a lot of big windows to show off our gorgeous landscaping."

_And a fireplace to cuddle by._

"A deck to sit out on in the Summer."

_Hot tub too?_

"A room for each of the kids. We can paint them ourselves!"

_Riiiight, because I definitely know how to paint..._

"A reallllly nice master bathroom because I need my space in the morning! And a nice big shower, for Mommy and Daddy." Evie added. Spencer could hear the smile playing on her lips.

_Yeah... I'd like that._ He thought, imagining having a family with Evie. It was all he ever wanted now. He really was the luckiest person alive, despite the fact he was nearly tortured to death a while ago. He wasn't even sure how long ago it was. He could barely remember the FBI barging in the last second. Spencer was sure if they didn't when they did, he'd be dead by now. Being in a strange deep sleep, coma ordeal was better than dead. At least he could hear her voice.

"I love you so much, Spence." Evie said again. Reid became even more determined this time. He had to let her know that he loved her too. How could he do that, though? Spencer concentrated on moving his hand. If he could actually feel the muscles in his face, his eyebrows would be furrowed with concentration. He was sure that he just remained motionless however.

Spencer could feel Evie's hand in his own. He was so close, so close to being able to just barely move it, he could feel it. It was one of the most frustrating experiences.

_Come on, come on..._ he thought to himself. With all of the energy he had, Spencer thought about his hand wrapped and Evie's and he could've sworn he moved his index finger just the slightest bit. Evie reinforced his belief.

"Spence?" she whispered, grabbing onto his hand tighter. The weight of her head on his pillow lifted, and he could feel her hair brush up against his cheek as she peered down at him. What he'd give to just open his eyes to stare into her beautful gray ones. "Spencer, can you hear me."

_Yes, yes I promise I can hear you. I'm trying, Evs._ He longed to say. Instead he remained still, all of the energy sucked out of him from when he barely moved his finger. When a response from Spencer didn't come, Evelyn sighed and lied back down on the pillow next to Spencer. He wanted to ask her to just wrap her arm around him. She wouldn't hurt him. His body was too numb for that. He knew that Evelyn would be terrified of harming him though, so he could definitely take holding hands with gratitude.

Spencer mentally sighed and decided to try moving his hand again. He conjured up everything he had in him, trying so hard to just get the slightest of movement. This time, it was taking even more energy than before. Spencer felt himself slipping into an even deeper abyss, further and further away from Evie.

_No, no, no..._ he thought. His mind clouded further and darker and darker it got. Spencer imagined the sight of Evie one last time before slipping into nothing.

"Hey, how's our boy doing?" Morgan asked upon entering the room. It was around nine o'clock now, and the team was just returning from the restaurant they had gone to down the street. Derek came in carrying a bag with two foam boxes in it. He waltzed across the room and handed it to Evie.

"He's alright. I could've sworn I felt him move just a little a while ago." she filled him in. "Thank you, by the way." She added, taking the boxed food in her lap.

"I hope you like thai." he said, pulling up a seat next to Evie to watch Spencer lie there. They sat in silence save for the sound of Evie wrestling with the process of opening the food boxes. She finally got them open, steam rising from the sweet and sour chicken and noodles.

"Looks good, I'm starving." she said, looking for a fork at the bottom of the bag. Morgan nodded his head towards the other box that remained unopened.

"I got another box for Pretty Boy if he ever decides to wake up." he said. "I don't suppose that IV needle is quite as satisfactory." Evie smiled at him before glancing over at Spencer.

"Hopefully that'll be soon." She said longingly as more people entered the room. JJ came in first, a rushed expression on her face, followed by Garcia and Emily.

"Hey, how is he?" JJ asked. Evie answered with the same thing she told Morgan. The girls nodded and looked down sadly at Spence. Evie didn't know why they all did that so much. She supposed they were waiting for the one time they looked at him and his eyes finally fluttered open again, his beautiful brown orbs staring up at everyone with adorable confusion.

"I've got to get back to Will and Henry. I wish I could stay longer. I'll be back to visit tomorrow." JJ said, looking at Evie with a mixture of regret on her face. Evelyn shook her head to tell Jayge not to worry about it. She was a mom and needed to get back to her family.

JJ bent down to wrap her arms around Evie who gratefully hugged her back. She then moved to Emily, and then Garcia, and then Morgan until she approached Spencer's bedside and leaned down to kiss the top of his head.

"Get better soon, Spence." Evie heard her whisper. JJ gave the remaining team members in the room an encouraging smile before she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the room. Morgan groaned as he stretched, breaking the silence and leaning back in his chair with a tired look on his face.

"I think I'll get a hotel near here to stay close to the kid." he grumbled, rubbing his hands over the tired features of his face. Garcia nodded, her eyes still laced with as much concern as before. That woman never stopped worrying.

"Me too. But before that, do you want me to go grab you and Spencer some clothes and essentials?" Pen asked, looking at Evie with raised eyebrows. Evie had never seen her with such little make-up before. It had all been washed away from all of the crying that had previously taken place. Evie shook the thoughts from her head, not wanting to think about it at the moment.

"That'd be great, Pen. Do you need a key? I'm afraid I don't have one on me." Evie said, looking around the room although she didn't know what she possibly was going to find. Her and Spencer had been brutally kidnapped from their apartment... it didn't really cross her mind to bring a key with her.

"It should be fine since it's been turned into a crime scene." Emily said, looking from Garcia to Evie. "I'll come with you. We won't be back until midnight however. Hang tight." Emily finished as she pulled her black coat on and buttoned it up all the way over her deep maroon shirt. They said goodbye one last time before leaving Derek and Evie alone.

"Where's Hotch and Rossi?" Evelyn asked, looking over at Morgan whose head was tilted back, his eyes closed.

"The board needed a full report from Hotch ASAP, and Rossi went to help him with it back in Quantico." he answered, fatigue in his voice. "I'm going to go see if I can get our visiting hours extended to overnight." Morgan said, pushing himself off of his chair with one last raise of an eyebrow to Evie. She pressed her lips together in a thin line and nodded, watching him go out. She was suddenly hit with how tired she was. Evie lied her head down on the bed next to Spencer's own and closed her eyes, promising herself she'd just relax, not fall asleep. However, within less than two minutes, she was out like a light.

"Morning, babe." Spencer heard a voice say, coming out from his dreams of mixed images and sounds. He felt a hand on his forehead, brushing light feather hair away from his eyes, tickling his skin. Reid sighed in his head, realizing it was his gorgeous girlfriend. He must've been at home in bed. It was probably almost time for work.

With this in mind, Spence tried to open his eyes. It didn't work. Why couldn't he open his eyes! He tried his arms, his hands, his legs... Nothing would move! Where was he, why couldn't he move?

Suddenly everything rushed back to him. The heightening beeping of the heart monitor was a pretty good reminder as well. He let himself calm down so that the beeping would slow to a normal rate. Evie held his hand, and squeezed lightly.

"You there, Spence?" she asked, hope strong in her voice making Spencer feel guilty. He was right back to where he started. He desperately wanted to let her know she heard everything she was saying and that he was okay, but he just had to accept the fact that he wasn't strong enough. "Maybe later." she whispered, disappointment strong in her voice instead. Reid felt a pang of guilt course through him, but he let it go.

"So Emily and Garcia brought us some stuff from home late last night. I had already fallen asleep. I um... I called and asked them to bring some books so I could read to you." she said. Reid felt himself get excited, happiness taking over his body for the first time in a while. He loved when she read to him. He just focused on her gorgeous voice and he instantly always felt home.

"Alright, let's see here..." she said. Spencer heard the squeak of the chair as Evie sat down next to his bed. A light weight sunk into the bed besides him. Spencer guessed those were the books. It was strange focusing on other senses that always took a backseat to sight. "I've got Moby Dick, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." she said, picking up and putting down each book that she called out.

_Mmmm... Charles Dickens._ Spencer thought. Those never failed.

"Wasn't Charles Dickens your favorite author when you were little?" Evie asked, more to herself. Spencer smiled to himself. It was like he didn't even need to talk. She already nearly read his mind. When Spencer not so surprisingly didn't answer, Evie took two books off the bed and Spence heard her place them on what seemed like a table next to the bed by his head. "Okay. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens it is." Evie concluded. Reid listened to the familiar sound of an old book opening, the binding creaking in protest. He could almost smell the pages of the book. He felt so much more relaxed already.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the season of Light..." Evie read in her reading voice that Spencer loved listening to. He repeated the same words in his head as she read, recognizing every line and loving it all the better as Evie said the words. His inability to move was frustrating, but if anything in the world could make it better, it was this.

"There were a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face..." Evie carried on.

_...on the throne of England_. Spencer thought along with her words.

"There was a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face..."

_...on the throne of France._

"In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves and fishes..."

_...that things in general were settled for ever._ Spencer thought. It went on like this until half of the book was finished, and Spence loved every moment.

"Mommy, hurry!" Spencer heard a familiar voice a few hours later. He wasn't quite sure of times. It felt like it had been a few hours though.

"Go on, Aunt Evie is in there." JJ's voice came from out in the hallway. Spencer's heart rate picked up from excitement. Henry! She had brought Henry to see him! He heard the little guy run across the floor in most likely his light up sneakers. There was the sound of a chair being pulled up next to Spence's bed.

"Up you go." Evie's strained voice came as she probably lifted Henry into the chair. He heard small breathing patterns from beside him and knew it was Henry. He imagined his big eyes looking at Spencer, his blond hair covering one eye.

"Is Uncle Spence okay?" he whispered like Spencer was sleeping and he didn't want to wake him.

"He'll be okay, sweetheart." JJ's voice said. "You know what makes boo boo's better, Henry?"

"Hugs and kisses!" Henry said excitedly. Spencer felt small arms wrap around his torso and Henry gently hugged him with his small body. He wished he could smile right then. He was filled with warmth from he happiness created by his godson. Man he loved that kid.

"That's right." JJ laughed. Spencer felt Jayge lean over him and kiss his forehead. They visited for a while. Spencer would've loved to stay and listen, but he was getting tired. He just wanted to sleep. The last thing he heard before he did was,

"I drew you a picture, Uncle Spence!"

"That looks great, Henry!" Evie said, looking at the picture he drew for Spencer. It was a picture of a stick figure version of JJ, Will, Garcia, Henry, Evie, and Spencer all holding hands in a grass area with what looked like flying apples.

"Those are hearts!" Henry said, pointing to the mistaken apples. Evie had an "aha" moment and nodded.

"Ahhh, I see! Spence will love it. We'll put it right here for when he wakes up. Sound like a plan?" she asked, straightening to stand in front of the bulletin board hanging on the wall besides Spencer's bed. She took a tack from a small container on the nightstand table and attached it to the board.

"That's good!" Henry said, excitedly clapping his hands together. He jumped up and down on his chair and then plopped down on the edge of Spencer's bed. Evie and JJ watched as Henry placed a small hand on Spencer's shoulder. He quieted suddenly, becoming solemn as if he knew his Uncle wasn't quite alright.

"When will he wake up?" he asked quietly. JJ looked up at Evie from where she sat filling out papers on the other side of the room. Evie grimaced and shrugged. JJ stood and went to pick up Henry in her arms from behind. He squealed in surprise, giggling as she tickled his sides.

"Whenever he feels better!" she said, trying to keep her voice light and happy. Henry wriggled in her arms, giggling along with the way she tickled him. JJ spun him around, making Henry laugh harder until she put him down on the floor. He was breathing hard from the tickle fight as he walked back to Spencer's bedside.

"Feel better, Uncle Spence." he whispered like it was some exclusive secret just between him and Spencer. Evie and JJ smiled at each other. Evelyn loved having Henry there. He brightened every room, no matter the occasion.

Eventually, Henry and JJ left and Garcia and Derek visited. Emily came after that. Throughout the entire time, Spencer never moved once. It was really starting to worry Evelyn. What if he never woke up? What if he was in a coma forever?

She knew she was overreacting, but she couldn't help it. After watching what Spencer had gone through, how could she not? To keep her nerves down, she just kept reading to him. She finished the Charles Dickens book and carried on to Moby Dick around dinner time.

"Hey, thought you might want some grub." Rossi's voice came from behind Evie while she was reading from the book in her hands. She turned to see Hotch and Rossi in the doorway with more boxed food. She smiled and let her head fall backwards as she groaned.

"Thank god. I cannot stand anymore hospital food." she said, smiling as they handed her what turned out to be Italian food.

"Thank you, where's this from?" she asked, looking up to Rossi and Hotch who were pulling up chairs around her.

"My kitchen." Rossi said, making Hotch smirk. Evie's eyes went wide as she took a bite of what seemed to be veal.

"You made this? This is amazing!" she said, way too excited about her food. They didn't understand how amazing it tasted after having pre-made ham sandwich after sandwich. Even without the enhancement compared to hospital food, it tasted delicious.

"I try." Rossi said, faking his modesty. Evie smiled at him and took another bite of her food. Thank god for their friends. Without them visiting constantly, Evie would most definitely break down from the stress of Spencer being stuck in a deep sleep, his body all broken. The entire day, he hadn't waken. Hotch was able to convince the hospital to allow Evie to sleep over again. FBI had many additional perks. She read to him until she couldn't see straight that night. It helped her keep her mind off things. Around eleven PM, her eyes closed and she let herself fall to sleep, her arms and head wresting next to Spencer's chest.

Morning... Was it morning? Spencer could hear the sound of Evie messing with tin foil. She was probably eating breakfast. It was difficult keeping track when you were wallowing alone in darkness. He wasn't alone though, he reminded himself. Evie never left his side.

He felt stronger today. He felt almost refreshed. At the same time, however, he was starting to feel the pain of his injuries. His chest ached and it felt harder to breathe than usual. The cuts in his arms and chest burned, and his back tingled from the burns, on the verge of stinging. He could tell the medicine was starting to wear off. The pain was bearable though.

"Hi Spence." he heard Evs whisper to him. "Morning, sunshine." she said, repeating what he had said every morning to her ever since he said it the first time she woke up to find Spencer making breakfast in her old kitchen. Spencer smiled at this... wait... Spencer actually smiled at this. He felt the corner of his lips move... Spencer's heart picked up speed. He let hope build up in him. Could he, maybe...

Spencer took a deep breath and thought of Evie... and then he opened his eyes.

**A/N: Thanks so much for the super nice reviews and all the followers and favoriters! There are two more chapters left in this story, then there will be a second one! Thanks for everyone who has followed through to the end!**


	22. With You

**"I want morning and noon and nightfall with you. I want your tears, your smiles, your kisses... The smell of your hair, the taste of your skin, the touch of your breath on my face. I want to see you in the final hour of my life... to lie in your arms as I take my last breath."** **~Lisa Kleypas**

White. That's all Spencer saw at first. White walls, white ceilings, white floors, white bed sheets. The room was about 16 feet by 18 feet if he had to guess. There were three chairs lined up against the white wall all the way to his left. To his right, there was a small space between his bed and the wall where there was a big window with the blue curtains shut. The wall directly across from him had a door that was slightly open, revealing what looked like a dark bathroom. More to his left, next to the chairs, was a door most likely to the hallway. That's the door Spencer would always hear open and close when someone would come in or leave.

What caught Spencer's attention most was Evie who was sitting in a chair on the left side of his bed, her head down as she worked on opening a very complicatedly wrapped pastry. Spencer didn't even move his head to face her yet, only his eyes. She didn't notice yet. He couldn't help but smile just at the sight of her. Her hair was down, brushing over her shoulders. It was soft like she had just brushed it. She had kept her makeup light, and Spencer could smell the mint toothpaste she had just used even from where he lied. They were only a foot away however.

Spence watched her for a bit before finding the energy to speak. It only came out as a whisper, but still, that was enough.

"Hi."

Evie screamed and jumped up, dropping her food and napkins and assorted utensils all over the floor. This made Spence smile wider. He nearly laughed even, but it hurt his ribs too much. He coughed, but his smile remained. Evie didn't even bother to pick up what she had dropped. She stared at him with giant gray orbs, her pupils suddenly retracting with shock. Her mouth was slightly parted and her hands were still held in the air, frozen there like she was still holding all of the things that had crashed to the floor.

"Oh my god..." she finally whispered. Before he even knew what was happening, Evie's arms were around him, her chest on his, and her head in his neck.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god... It's- Your- Okay..." she stuttered out. Spencer willed his arms to move around her, sighing with relief when they actually did. He rubbed her back, to comfort her and to also test his arm , it felt so good. Her warm body in his arms again. There were many a time where he thought he'd never get this chance again. Spencer could smell the Eucalyptus and Mint of her hair. The skin of her face was soft against his own. Just everything about her, he savored in that moment. He didn't even care if his body was being a bit painfully crushed at the moment.

"I-"

"Wait! No." Evie suddenly interupted Spencer, pulling back quickly to look into his eyes. Spencer frowned at her. She looked down at him with a small smile. "You're not allowed to talk for a while. Doctor's orders." she explained, taking his hand in hers. Spencer frowned at her further. He wasn't able to talk to her for two days! He understood it was energy consuming, but he really wanted to just get things back to normal.

"Come here. Try to sit up." Evie said as she moved from her chair to the edge of his bed. She patted the space next to her and tightened her grip on his hand, reaching forward to put her other hand on his elbow to give him support as he tried to sit up. His sides burned and it felt like someone was stabbing a knife through his ribs. He used the arm not being held by Evie to push himself up, his face grimacing against the pain. "Careful, darling." Evie said, putting a delicate arm around his back once he was sitting on the edge of the bed with her. He instantly felt dizzy, so he put his head on her shoulder and rested it there.

Spencer groaned into her neck, kissing her soft skin for a moment. He'd never take kissing her skin for granted ever. He loved it every second his lips were on her.

"You aren't even off the pain killers yet." Evie said, reaching a hand up to stroke his messy hair. "How are you feeling?"

Spencer groaned and let himself slide off her shoulder to collapse in her lap. Evie chuckled and rubbed a part of his shoudler that was burned, or cut, or bruised. Spencer nuzzled her leg, taking a new appreciation to literally everything about her. He felt her hands graze the back of his neck while going for the ties of his gown. She undid the first one while Spencer lied motionless in her lap, occasionally groaning from waves of pain.

"Let me check your bandages." she said, bending down and kissing his shoulder. Spencer groaned and pushed himself up and allowed his head to fall on her shoulder again. He didn't ever want to let go of her.

Evie took the gown off, leaving Spencer in hospital pajama looking pants. There were tight bandages surrounding his back and chest, along with his biceps. Evie traced gentle fingers along his chest, making him shiver. She smiled at him and kissed his neck. Spencer sighed happily, loving every second since he had waken up. For a moment he didn't even care that they were forbidding him to talk. Evie kissed all the way down to his collarbone, which miraculously looked like the only part of his chest that was damaged. She continued to each of his shoulder, being extra gently when she kissed over bandages and bruises. Evie's lips found their way all the way down to his abdomen, leaving Spencer breathless. He groaned again, but this time it wasn't from the pain.

Evie eventually made her way back up to his jawline, eventually pressing against his lips. Spencer smiled into the kiss at first, then moved his own against her. They were so soft, exactly how he remembered them. Exactly what he craved.

They nuzzled for a good five minutes after that. It was really draining the energy from Spence, but he didn't care. He just wanted to hold his baby in his arms and nuzzle her to death. They ended up with their foreheads pressed against one another's, their eyes staring deeply into each other.

"So what condition am I in?" Spencer asked in a raspy voice. A flash of fear crossed Evie's eyes upon hearing him speak.

"Hey... nuh-uh. No talking, sweetheart." she said, reaching her hand up to stroke the side of his face. Spencer didn't like this idea. He was fine, he wasn't going to die from talking!

"Evie, I can-"

"No, stop. Use this pad and pen." she said, grabbing a pad of paper and a pen with the hospital logo on it from the bedside table. Spencer shook his head, unintentionally working himself up. He got really dizzy real fast. Spencer let himself fall back onto his pillow, his back hitting the mattress. His face twisted in pain as it felt like needles were shooting through him. When he opened his eyes from squeezing them shut in pain, there were tears on the rim. Evie looked at him in horror, tears collecting in her own eyes.

"P- Please don't, Spence." she was able to whisper as tears fell down her face. Suddenly without warning she just went limp on his bed, her head hanging low as she was consumed with sobs. Reid looked at her with wide eyes, so surprised he didn't even move at first. Where had that come from?

"Evie..." he whispered, then mentally kicking himself for speaking. He sighed and reached forward to take her hand. With all the strength he had, he pulled on her arm, her body following with it so she was forced to lie on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shaking torso while she buried her face in his collarbone. Spencer felt the warm tears slide from her face on the skin over his neck. He rubbed her back and kissed her temple.

Spencer was about to say something, but he remembered it was upsetting Evie. He reached around her back to gently tug the pad of paper and pen away from her hands instead. She looked up at him through red eyes and he just kissed her nose in return. She smiled, resting her head back down on his chest.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked, glancing up at Spence for an answer. He shook his head and resumed tracing patterns on her back with one hand while he used the other to write on the notepad.

I'm sorry. I'm not really patient. He wrote and then showed Evie. She broke into a smile and chuckled.

"No, you really aren't." she said, kissing his collarbone.

What do the Doctor's say?

"Broken rib, second and third degree burns, sever bruising, and lacerations that'll leave some faint scars." Evie said, looking up at the ceiling as she remembered to list all of the damage. Spencer nodded and thought about that. So he was not in what he'd call "good shape", but in the long run he'd be fine. That was all he needed to know, that he could spend the rest of his life with Evie.

How long? he jotted down. Evie sighed and looked up at him through regretting eyes.

"I'm not exactly sure. It depends how you do. The doctor's are saying maybe a week." she informed him. Spencer sighed with disappointment and sunk his head into his pillow. He groaned and held Evie close. "I won't leave you. Never have never will." she said, tracing patterns into his chest the same way he was doing to her back.

I know. I could hear you. He wrote down. As soon as Evie read his words, she looked up at him with wide eyes. He smiled. He loved that face.

"Really? Everything?"

Mostly. I loved when you read to me.

Evie beamed at him, and that was worth every second he had to spend alone in darkness with only the sound of voices to hold onto. Spencer just had to smile back.

"I love you." She whispered, her breath brushing over his lips with how close she was. He leaned forward and pecked her lips before pointing to his chest while mouthing out the word "I". Then he made a heart shape with his hands while mouthing out "love". When he mouthed out the word "you", he 'booped' her nose as she called it. Evie laughed and kissed him full on the mouth.

"OH MY GOD!" Garcia shrieked from the doorway. Evie jerked away from Spencer, jerking up to sit up on the bed instead of lying all over Spence. The force she used to push off of him made him grunt in pain. She flinched and mouthed the word "sorry" to him.

"There's our boy genius!" she shrieked, rushing forward as fast as she could on her bright yellow heels. She dropped her bags at the foot of Spencer's bed and threw her arms around his neck. Spencer smiled and wrapped an arm around her yellow cardigan covered back.

"Yeah, making out with his girlfriend already. My man." Morgan laughed from the doorway as he entered. Garcia proceeded in kissing Spence all over his forehead, getting bright pink lipstick marks all over his skin. By the time she was done, he was blushing a deep red. Evie laughed and rubbed his leg through the blankets over his legs.

"Hey, you want me to get you some Jell-O?" Morgan asked, walking over to clap a hand on Spencer's shoulder. He grimaced and then nodded, excitement in his eyes. He loved hiYs Jell-O. Garcia was staring at him with childish excitement, looking like she didn't know what to do with herself besides stand there and beam at Spencer. He raised his eyebrows at her, not knowing what to expect next.

"Right, right! I came here to decorate your room!" She said excitedly, going back to the colorful bags she dropped by his bedside. She opened them and pulled out a bunch of colorful picture frames with pictures of the team. There were ones of Evie and Spencer together as well. He wasn't even sure how she got those, but he didn't want to take the time to write down the question on his notepad. Instead he just pulled Evie back into his arms and took a deep breath, smelling her scent.

"Yeah, he must've woken up this morning." Morgan was saying while he entered the room, a Jell-O cup in his hand and a spoon and his phone in the other. He walked across the room and put the cup on the bedside table for Reid and then nodded a few times before hanging up the phone.

"Everyone's ecstatic that you're awake, Pretty Ricky." Morgan said, handing Spencer a spoon. He looked up at him with a grateful smile. "You know, I kind of like this no talking thing." Morgan added with a smirk. Spencer rolled his eyes and sat up. He squeezed his eyes shut as pain blinded him for a moment.

"Take it easy, sweetheart." Evie said soothingly, running her hands along his arms. Spencer kissed her cheek before working to open his Jell-O. His coordination was still off though, and his fingers fumbled with the plastic on the top. He sighed with frustration and was about to hold it out for Evie to try, but she already reached forward and peeled back the top. Spencer gave her hand a squeeze in a way of saying thank you and gratefully dug into his Jell-O. It seemed like it had been forever since he'd eaten real food.

"How can I hang up these streamers?" Penelope's voice asked from where she was standing on a chair on the opposite side of the room. She had just finished hanging multi-colored lights along the once lifeless cabinets. Spencer snorted in amusement and kept eating his Jell-O. Man, did it taste good right then.

"Why don't we go get you some tacks, baby girl." Morgan said, holding his hand out for Garcia to take so she could step down from standing on the chair. "We'll be back." he said before leading her out of the room. Evie looked down at Spencer. He was aware of her watching him eat, but he didn't acknowledge it. He happily ate his red gelatin, really wishing he could give a bunch of facts about it right now.

"Mmmm?" Spencer made a small questioning noise and held his half eaten Jell-O cup to Evie to see if she wanted some. Evie gave a half smile and leaned forward to kiss Spencer on the mouth. Jell-O forgotten, he wrapped his free arm around her back, holding her there so she couldn't break the kiss anytime soon. He loved her so much.

"It's all yours, babe." she said when she finally pulled back. She pecked his lips one last time before contently sighing and nestling herself into his neck. Spencer kissed her cheek before continuing to eat. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt like everything was going to be alright.

Later that night, Garcia and Morgan had brought them dinner. Spencer had been eating A LOT lately. He'd been surviving off an IV needle for the past couple days so no one could blame him.

"How do you eat so much and stay so skinny?" Morgan asked, poking his stomach as Spencer finished two boxes of food. Spencer shrugged, flinching when he realized that was a bad idea. His shoulders hurt. And his chest. And his stomach. And his arms. And occasionally his legs. The doctor had checked in on him earlier however and said the healing process was going exceptionally well. That's all Spencer wanted to hear.

As night approached, the nurses got used to the fact that Evie refused to go anywhere. Either that, or they pretended not to know. Either way, Spencer was content with. She read the rest of Moby Dick to him, tiredly closing the book around midnight when they were finished. Spencer watched as she ran her hands tiredly over her face and then smiled at him with a strained fatigued smile. Spencer smiled back and then scooted to the other side of the bed further away from her. He settled himself into a comfortable position on his side facing her and then lifted the blankets up to reveal the empty space of mattress next to him. He patted it with his hand, telling her to lie down with him.

"I'm not too sure the nurses would be too happy with that..." Evie said reluctantly. He could see how much she wanted it in her eyes though. There was no way he was going to let her sleep on a chair. There was just no way.

Spencer gave her puppy dog eyes and whimpered, patting the spot next to him again. He was getting used to this no-talking thing. It was somehow easier to guilt trip people into things.

"Ok, ok. You got me." Evie said as she stood up to crawl into bed next to Spencer. She turned so her back was against his chest, her body fitting perfectly into his. Spencer sighed happily and wrapped an arm around her waist that was clad in her pajama pants that Garcia had brought her. Earlier, Evie had helped Spencer to the bathroom so he could clean up. She washed his hair during which he fell asleep during. He couldn't help that it had felt so soothing.

Evie said he was allowed to dress in his own clothes after that, so he managed to get dressed in his pajama pants while lying down. It was progress, but he had nearly passed out during the whole process. Evelyn never left that entire day though. It made Spencer have so much hope in getting better.

"Night, love. I love you so much." Evie whispered, holding the hand that was draped across her waist. Spencer kissed her smooth shoulder.

"I love you too." he whispered. She didn't bother to tell him to not talk this time.

The next morning, Spence was the first to wake. He supposed it was all that sleeping he had got for two straight days that kept him well rested. He had just stayed awake, still hugging Evie from behind like how he'd fallen asleep the other night. Her side rose and fell with each of her soft breaths and her body was warm against his own. Spencer watched her sleep, smiling at how cute she looked.

"Spence..." she moaned in her sleep. Reid chuckled and ran his hand along her arm.

"I'm right here, baby." he whispered in her ear. She shivered from beside him so Spencer tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her close no matter how much it hurt him to do so. He pulled up the covers to slide over her shoulder, wrapping her up tightly in warmth.

"Good Morning." she mumbled, turning her head so Spencer could lay a light kiss on her lips. "Wait, no talking." she said, suddenly remembering. Spencer moaned and let his head fall on her shoulder. He reached forward past Evie to the notepad on the table, grabbing a pen as well.

I was hoping you'd forget.

Evie looked at his note and smiled. "Me? Never." she joked. Spencer playfully rolled his eyes and rolled on his back, untangling his arms from around her so that she could push herself up out of bed.

"Alright, game plan for today. You really don't want to try their breakfast food. Why don't I go run to the cafe across the street for some food for us?" she proposed while putting up her hair into a ponytail. Spencer watched her and nodded in agreement.

"How are you feeling?" she asked after dropping her arms to the side and looking at him through worried eyes like she was afraid to know. Spencer opened his mouth to speak, but Evie stopped him. "Hey, hey, no! Use your notepad."

Spencer pouted at her childishly but picked up the pad and pen anyway. He thought about the best thing to tell her... That he hurt all over? No... That he was fine? Well, he wasn't exactly fine either. Spencer clicked his pen open and wrote...

Just sore a bit, is all.

He held it up for Evie to see, and she frowned at him as if she didn't believe him. He couldn't blame her. He probably looked like death.

"Okay, well maybe you'll feel better after breakfast." She said, nearly reading his mind on how he was actually feeling. Spencer sighed and put the notepad on the bedside table, watching Evie as she scrambled around the room to pull off her pajama pants and replace them with jeans. She hopped into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and then hopped back out, grabbing her phone off of the counter on the wall opposite of where Spencer laid. She looked around the room one last time, her eyes finally meeting Spencer's who was still intently watching her.

"I'll be as fast as I can." she said, walking besides his bed to lean in and press her lips to his. She moved her own against his, pulling his head into the kiss a bit before standing. She gave Spence one last shoulder squeeze before walking out of the room and into the hallway. Spencer sighed and laid down, looking at the ceiling and thinking of her.

"Are... You sure you'll be okay?" Evie's voice came from the door. Spencer frowned and turned his head to see she had come back. Obviously, she was having more trouble with the thought of leaving Spence than he did. Spencer chuckled and made a shooing motion with his hand, telling her to go. She made a worried face but blew him a kiss before turning and walking out a second time. Spencer smile upon watching her leave. What would he do without her?

Only five minutes or so after Evie left, the door to Spencer's room opened again. It broke him from the sleep he was falling back into. He turned his head to look too fast, feeling the pain shoot through his neck. He closed his eyes and groaned, trying to regain himself for a moment before opening his eyes to see Hotch, Rossi, and Emily enter the room. He instantly smiled, even if it was weak. Emily broke into a smile as well, rushing to his side.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked, leaning down to wrap a gentle arm around Spencer. He smiled and reached for his notepad. Emily frowned in confusion at him, until he finished writing and showed her the words he wrote on the paper.

Not allowed to talk. Doctor's orders. They said. Emily gave an "ahhhh", and nodded her head.

"Where'd Evie go?" Hotch asked, coming up to stand besides Emily.

Cafe for breakfast.

"I see... I'm glad to see you're awake, Reid." Hotch said, giving him one of his rare Hotch smiles. Spencer gave him an appreciative smile back, suddenly feeling a pang of pain in his rib, most likely the one he broke. The medicine was definitely starting to wear off.

"You okay there, kid?" Rossi asked while he pulled up a chair to sit in. Spencer cringed and nodded, holding his hand over his rib where the stabbing pain was setting in.

"Are your narcotics wearing off?" Hotch asked, frowning through dark eyebrows at the way Spencer was grimacing in pain. "I think you're due for more... Let me go-"

"No!" Spencer burst out, sitting straight up with immense speed, making his head spin. "No, no more narcotics." he croaked out. His voice really did hurt when he used it, and it was using up so much energy. Spencer was starting to see black spots. He could barely see the blur of Hotch stop from walking out of the room from his protests and feel Emily put a tentative hand on his back.

"Spencer, calm down. You're going to hurt yourself..." Emily tried to reason. Spencer's mind only focused on narcotics though. No narcotics. He didn't want narcotics. He didn't trust himself.

"No, I- I can't have... I can't have..." Spencer tried to say, but everything was going dark. Emily was calling his name and Hotch was calling for a nurse to hurry in. Rossi was trying to tell Spencer to lie back down, but everything faded until he was left in darkness.

"What happened?" Evie asked, rushing into the room and dropped the paper bags with the cafe logo on the front carelessly on the counter. She rushed to Spencer's side, putting a hand on the side of his lifeless face. She wasn't expecting to find Hotch, Rossi, and Emily in the room when she got back, but she was especially not expecting to hear Emily tell her that Spencer had passed out while she was gone.

"He was cringing in pain while we were talking to him, so Hotch offered to go ask for another dose of narcotics and he freaked out." Emily said, her voice shaking. Evie didn't blame her. She'd be terrified too if Spencer worked himself up as much as he did only to fall unconscious right in front of her. "I'm sorry, Evie. I didn't know how to calm him down..." she apologized, true guilt in her eyes. Evie retracted her hand from against Spencer's face and shook her head.

"No, no. Don't say that, it's not at all your fault." Evie assured her. Emily still frowned at her guiltily. Evie put a hand on her arm and she let go of some tension in her features.

"The doctor came in and checked him. He said he just exhausted himself, so when he wakes up he needs to take it easy." Rossi filled Evelyn in. She nodded and ran her hands through her hair with frustration. Didn't Spencer realise how serious this was?

"Did he try talking?" she asked, complete distress creeping into her voice.

"Shouting, more like it. His voice is weak so he didn't quite get there." Hotch said, frowning at Spence. "Looks like he's waking up." he added, causing everyone's head to turn to see Spencer tilt his head to the side. His eyes fluttered open a bit before closing again. Evelyn could've sworn she heard a soft moan escape his lips before he fully opened his eyes, taking in the sight of everyone watching him.

"Spence, you can't do that." Evie was the first to speak. She approached him and sat in the chair she always left by his bed. Spencer looked at her through big eyes obviously meant to guilt trip her. She couldn't let it get to her. "No. Really, Spence. Do you not care for your safety at all? I almost lost you once, I'm not going to again." She said, her voice rising. Spencer didn't say anything, just looked at her. She didn't want him to speak anyway, but the face he was giving her was getting to Evie. She could never stay mad at her.

"Just, please be careful." she said, lowering her voice again. Spencer nodded and reached his hand forward to take her hand. She smiled and brought the back of his hand to her lips to kiss it.

"I hate to bring this up again, but the pain is only going to get worse, Reid." Hotch said, raising his eyebrows at Spence. Evie watched Reid's body instantly tense as he shook his head frantically back and forth, stopping when it was getting to be too much movement for him.

"Spencer…" Evie warned, winding her fingers through his hair. He sighed and looked up at her through pleading eyes. What was with him and narcotics?

"Please?" she asked.

"Um… Evie…" Emily said, pointing out in the hallway where a doctor stood, waving her over. Evie nodded and kissed Spencer's forehead before standing and walking out into the hallway. The doctor closed the door behind him, turning to Evie with his eyes down on the clipboard he held.

"Dr. Reid is due for another dose of pain medications. I've been told by Agent Hotchner that this may serve as a problem for him. I just want to let you know that he'll be in great amounts of pain within a couple of hours if he doesn't comply." the doctor informed her, giving her a concerned look. Evie sighed with frustration and rubbed her hands over her face.

"Okay, okay. I'll see if I can convince him." she said. The doctor nodded and let his hand holding the clipboard fall to his side.

"Come find a nurse if he changes his mind." he said. Evie thanked the doctor and watched him walk down the hallway and out of sight. Evie groaned to herself and let her back fall against the wall of the hallway. She put her hands over her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get some stress out. A few nurses bustled by her, running off to attend to other people in the intensive care wing.

"Evie... What's wrong?" she heard Morgan's voice. She dropped her hands to her side to see him approach in his leather jacket. He must've just arrived to visit Spencer.

"Spence is refusing to take anymore narcotics." Evie told him. She smoothed out her hair, looking for something to distract her from the thought of Spencer hurting so much in a few hours.

"You do know why, don't you?" Morgan asked, frowning at her with concerned eyes.

"No! No, I don't!" she said, her voice rising in frustration.

"Hey, hey. Calm down." Morgan told her, taking Evie's wrists from where she frantically ran her hands through her hair. Evie looked up at him, relaxing a bit when she saw his face twisted in concern. She took a deep breath. She'd be fine. Spencer would be fine. Everything would be fine. She just kept repeating those things over and over again in her mind, trying to believe them.

"Ever since Spencer kicked the Dilaudid habits, he doesn't trust himself around any form of narcotics. He wants nothing to do with them." Morgan explained. Evie mentally kicked herself. Why didn't she think of that?

"Oh..." she quietly said, feeling bad for being a bit hard on Spencer. "But- But, he's so beaten up. He's going to hurt himself more."

"Just give him some time." Morgan told her. Evie sighed and nodded. Maybe he was right.

Within the next three hours, Evie definitely could tell the doctor was right. Spencer wouldn't stop groaning an hissing in pain. He was gripping the sheets of his bed with one hand until his knuckles turned white, gripping Evie's hand with the other. His eyes were squeezed shut, his body curled up in pain on his bed.

"Spencer..." Evie tried to talk to him. Only her and Emily were left. The others had gone off to do other things a while ago. "Spencer... Spencer, please let them give you the medicine you need." Evie tried to reason. Spence shook his head, letting out another groan of pain.

"Reid, you can't go on like this any longer." Emily tried with her. Spencer ignored them both and buried his face in his pillow, continuing to squeeze Evie's hand. She stroke his hair, hoping to soothe some of the pain and take his mind off of the hurt. She doubted it did much help.

"Please." she whispered. Spencer turned to look up at Evie with terrified eyes, tears gathering at the rims. Evie was on the verge of breaking down just from seeing him like this. She didn't know how much more she could take. "Spencer, I know you don't trust yourself, but I do. I'm positive you'll be fine. Please." she said, leaning in close and pressing her forehead against his. Spencer looked at her for a while through big puppy dog eyes... well, more like a kicked puppy at the moment. Another wave of pain must've hit, because he suddenly hissed in a shaky breath and buried his face back into his pillow, obstructing her view.

Evie frowned at him, waiting for the answer she wanted. Finally he nodded into his pillow.

"Yes?" she double checked. Spencer nodded again, filling her with relief.

"I'll go get the doctor." Emily said, rushing out the room. They were both so eager. Watching Spencer hurt like that was hurting them.

It only took a minute or so before the same doctor that had spoken to Evie was in the room. He went to the tubes hooked up to Spencer's arm, tinkering with whatever he needed. Evie watched Spencer the entire time the doctor prepped him for more narcotics. His back rose and fell with dramatic breaths, sometimes they were short and choppy and he tried to cope through the pain. Evie rubbed his shoulder, letting him know she was right there.

Suddenly, his body became less tense. He seemed to sink further into the bed with relaxation as the narcotics took over. His grip loosened on her hand and on his bed sheets and he let out a moan of relief. Evie took a deep breath and took her own sigh of relief.

"Better?" she asked him. Spencer nodded and turned his head to look at her. She smiled and leaned down to kiss his nose. "Thank you." She whispered. She couldn't describe the relief it was to see that Spencer was out of pain.

The next couple of days were mostly the same for Spencer. He couldn't complain. They were spent cuddling with Evie and reading during the day, and cuddling with Evie and sleeping at night. He did crave for the outdoors, but he could barely stand up by himself. He didn't like the idea of a wheelchair either.

It was the fifth day Spencer had speant in the hospital, two since they had the "narcotics" ordeal. He knew he had been stubborn, but he really didn't want anything to do with the drugs. In the end, Evie had convinced him, and he had to admit, he was glad. Once they wore off completely, everything hurt like he was being tortured all over again. He never argued with her about the pain killers again after that.

"Is that the last book?" Spencer asked as Evie closed the cover of a book she just finished reading to him. She nodded and put in on the table next to his bed and looked at him, slightly smiling with sparkling eyes. In the last day or two, Spencer was allowed to start talking again, and for a while they couldn't get him to shut up.

"There are about 2,200,000 new books published each year." Spencer told her, taking her hand and kissing it. She chuckled and kissed his hand back.

"Uncle Spence!" a voice came from the doorway. Spencer turned to see Henry in the doorway, running at him, his light up sneakers casting colorful lights across the floor. He jumped up on the bed and threw his arms around Spencer's torse. Spencer smile and grunted with the force of Henry hitting his chest.

"Careful, Henry." JJ said, cringing at how her son jumped up on Spence.

"Nah, it's okay." Spencer said, wrapping his arms around Henry and giving him a tight squeeze. Henry giggled and wriggled around in his arms.

"Did you see my picture?" he asked excitedly, bounding around on the bed. Spencer smiled and pointed up at the picture Henry drew him that was hung on the bulletin board next to his bed.

"Yeah, I look at it all the time, my man." Spence told him, making Henry beam. He held out his hand for Henry to give him a high five. JJ and Evie smiled at them, admiring how cute Henry said as much as Spence was.

"Can we play star wars?" Henry asked, smiling his cute smile with his tiny teeth, one of them missing from the front.

"Uh, honey. I don't think Uncle Spence feels up to playing right now." JJ said, coming up behind Henry and wrapping her arms around his chest to lift him off the bed. His face fell for a moment, but then lit up again when he got another idea.

"Can we make pictures?" he asked, jumping up and down some more.

"Sure, buddy. Mom left some coloring stuff in that drawer over there." Spencer said, smiling at Henry as he continued to jump up and down. Evie laughed and held Spencer's hand.

"He had a little too much sugar today." JJ said, going over to the counter to pull out some coloring stuff for Henry. His smile just made Spencer feel so much more alive. JJ and Henry visited for the rest of the day and ate dinner wtih them. He loved every minute people came to visit him. When he was starting to think that he'd never see them again when in the awful prison a few days ago. He felt so incredibly lucky for every little thing.

Spencer was getting better physically as well. By the last day of the week, he was starting to walk with Evie's help. Everything hurt when he moved still, but not nearly enough as it once had earlier in the week. Evie never left his side unless it was to go pick up food or new books to read. By the last day of the week, he was able to go outside in the courtyard, leaning on Evie. It was getting colder out. By the time they went back inside, it was even starting to snow.

"You should be set to go on the day after tomorrow." Evie told him when they returned from outside. She helped him take his coat off and then he used her for support as he lied back down in his bed that he was wayyyy too familiar with. He was starting to go crazy from looking at the same walls every day. Thank god Evie was there.

Spencer reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her on top of him. It didn't hurt much anymore when he did so. Evie giggled as he tickled her sides. She writhed on top of him, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Spence... Spence, oh my god! Stop!" she laughed. Spencer chuckled and let her breathe, wrapping his arms around her. She hummed happily as he nuzzled her neck.

"Someone's feeling better." she observed. Spencer nodded and hugged her close. His heart warmed just from holding her close.

"Woah, we always walk in at the worst times." Morgan's voice came from the doorway. He had a big dopy grin on his face, but the worst part was that the rest of the team stood behind him, the same smirks on all of their faces. Evie and Spencer pushed away from each other, blushing. There was no hiding in a hospital.

"We thought you might want some company." Garcia said, walking in behind Morgan. She had a handful of blankets in her arms, a laptop case slung over her shoulder. Next came Hotch who was dressed casually with a v-neck and jeans. He was carrying a dark blue sleeping bag under his arm. So was Rossi and Emily. JJ carried a big bag of popcorn in one hand, and a couple of pillows in the other.

"What's this about?" Evie asked as they all started throwing their sleeping bags on the floor and lying the blankets out. Garcia set up her laptop on the table by Spencer's bed and began clicking around on it. Spencer frowned at their behavior in confusion. He was not expecting all of them to come at once.

"We're going to have a movie night!" JJ said, raising her eyebrows excitedly at Spencer and Evie. Spencer chuckled. Definitely unexpected.

"You're looking exceptionally better, man." Morgan quietly said, nudging Spencer on his shoulder. He watched his reaction. "You didn't even flinch that much."

"Thanks." Reid said sarcastically, rubbing his shoulder. Within a couple of minutes, the entire team was settled on their sleeping bags and blankets on the floor. They all joked around with each other, throwing popcorn around. Spencer had to pick out a few pieces from Evie's hair even a few minutes after their mini food war.

"I'm glad you're okay." Evie whispered as the movie started. Spencer pulled her close, her body lying closely against hers. He didn't care if the team was there. They were used to it anyway. He nuzzled his face into her neck, making her shiver.

"Me too." he whispered into her hair.

"Awwww..." Garcia's voice cooed from where she lied in front of the bed. The team laughed at the failed attept of Spencer and Evie to be all secretive. Spencer rolled his eyes and cuddled close to her. The sound of the movie played, but most of the time they talked and told stories and joked around with eachother. Spencer looked around at his friends and his beautiful girlfriend and realized staying in a hospital for a week couldn't have gotten better than this.


	23. Journey to Recovery

**"I think a spiritual journey is not so much a journey of discovery. It's a journey of recovery. It's a journey of uncovering your own inner nature. It's already there."**

**~Billy Corgan**

"Are you gonna miss it?" Evie asked as she stopped at the light that started turning red. Spencer was in the passenger seat, flying through a book about greek philosophers. They were almost home, finally able to leave the hospital where he'd spent just over a week at. Evie had thankfully stayed throughout the entire thing.

Spencer looked over at Evie with a confused frown.

"Miss what?"

"You're little hospital dwelling." she said, pulling forward once the light turned green. Spencer chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope." he shortly said. "I'll miss cuddling you everyday all day, though." He added in a matter-of-fact voice. He watched as Evie smiled over at him. He was so glad to be going home. He missed having a place to their own.

Once they pulled into the parking lot, Spencer felt a warm feeling spread over his body. He finally felt home. He'd missed it so much, he couldn't get fully comfortable in the hospital. No more overly plain foods or constant check ins from doctors. He did save a large stock of Jell-O to take home however, that was currently in the trunk.

"Here we are." Evie said, sighed and dropping her hands on her lap when she shut the car off. Spencer smiled and leaned forward. He touched his finger tips to Evie's chin and turned her to face him. Spencer looked into her eyes, eventually trailing them down to her lips before he kissed her. Evie kissed him back gently, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck. Every single one of his kisses with Evie was amazing, but something about this one really hit Spencer. He realized he was so close to never being able to do this again. It made it all the more special.

Evie seemed to feel it too. She pulled him in deeper, touching her tongue to his lips for access which he eagerly allowed. Spencer unbuckled his seat belt to move closer to her, never breaking their kiss in the process. Evie softly moaned into him, wrapping both arms around his neck tightly. Spencer could feel the pain starting to spread through his back and chest as he enveloped himself in Evie as much as the car space would allow, but he didn't care.

"Mmm... Spence..." Evie mumbled, but he ignored her and continued to kiss. Evie kissed him back, getting lost in it before she retracted again, a smile playing on her lips. "I don't want to hurt you." she said sadly, rubbing his arm. Spencer frowned at her.

"You won't. I promise."

"Well at least wait until we get to the apartment so I can change your bandages." Evie said, popping her car door open so as not to leave room for objections. Spencer whined and hurried to open his as well, rushing around the car to lift Evs off her feet before she could even close her door.

"Jeez, Spence." She grunted while wrapping her arms around his neck for support. "You definitely are feeling better."

Spencer's back was burning as well as the parts of his chest that he held Evie against. It wasn't unbearable however. He smiled up at her since she was taller than him when he held her. She smiled back and leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Love you." Spencer whispered.

"Love you more." Evie whispered. Spencer chuckled like it was the most unbelievable thing he's ever heard. He shut the car door she left open and began carrying her to the front of their apartments.

"Not a chance." he said, setting her down by the door. Evie rolled her eyes through a smile and took his hand. Together they walked up to their apartment, finally home.

Upon entering his home, Spencer felt it was foreign. Everything looked so unused, like no one had been living their for years. He looked at the place where he held Evie's hand when the lights had gone out and where he'd been ripped from her grasp. He shivered at the thought, and tried his best to dismiss it. It still left an eerie feeling behind though.

"Thank God they cleaned up the crime scene stuff." Evie muttered, shutting and locking the front door behind them. Spencer just stood there, looking around at their apartment. He never thought he'd see this place again either. It was strange how much more he appreciated after his near death experience. It wasn't a bad thing.

"Well... Almost." Spencer said, swiping a piece of CAUTION tape off of the ground and walking over to the trash can to throw it away. Evie went for the lights, flooding the room in a warm glow. Spencer looked around. Suddenly the apartment was much more homey.

"Come here." Evie said, pulling out a chair for Spencer to sit on. He groaned and sat on the chair sideways so Evie could still get to his back. She went to the cabinets at the very edge of the kitchen, going to pull out rolls of bandages and bandage tape. Spencer took off his shirt while she did this, shuddering at the sudden contact of cold air.

As soon as Evie came close, Spencer pulled her close by her belt loops, yanking her waist towards him first with her upper body jerking forwards as well. Evie giggled and put her hands in his hair, running her hands through it before she went to open the packaging of the bandages she was holding. Spencer took this time to wrap his arms around her waist and lie his head on her stomach. He nuzzled her abdomen, making her laugh and squirm whenever it tickled her. He laid gentle kisses on her stomach through her shirt, breathing in her scent.

"You know, there's nothing in there." Evie joked, talking about her stomach. Spencer chuckled and kissed her abdomen again, thinking of their baby being in there one day.

"I know... But someday there will be." he said, unraveling his arms from around her waist and leaning back so she could undo the bandages he currently had wrapped tightly around his chest. She couldn't stop smiling after he said that.

"You're amazing, you know that right?" she asked, her eyes still focused as she unraveled the cloth from around his back and chest. His skin was beginning to heal, but it was still terrifying for Spencer to look at. It was better if he didn't at all. There were deep red lines across his chest and arms from the cuts and his back was something he still had yet to look at. He still didn't plan too. The pain was enough of a reminder of the burning stoker being pressed into his flesh.

"Well, I am a genius." he said nodding, pressing his lips together in a think line. Evie rolled her eyes and began putting on the new bandages, looking at Spencer through guilty eyes whenever he flinched in pain.

"Are you sure you want to go back to work tomorrow?" she asked, concern layered in her voice. Spencer sighed. They had argued about this for a bit the other day. Spencer felt fine except for a constant pain that reoccurred over and over again in the background. The hurting was bearable though. He needed something to distract him from it, and saving lives was always a good distraction. Plus Evie had to go back tomorrow and there was no way he wanted be home alone without her.

"I'm positive." he told her. Evie held the bandages where she was halfway done wrapping them and leaned in to kiss Spencer's nose.

"Okay."

Evie pushed down the toast in the toaster and sighed, looking over at the digital clock above the oven. It was about time to go wake Spencer up for work. The other night had been really nice. As grateful as she was that Spencer was alive, so much that she'd spend the rest of her life in a hospital if it depended on it, she was so glad to be home. Spencer was exhausted from all the moving around that he hadn't had a lot of in the past week, so they had eaten dinner in bed while watching Dr. Who. She had to admit, he was getting her hooked.

They had fallen asleep like that, cuddled up in each other's arms. When Evie had woken to the screech of the annoying alarm clock, Spencer hadn't even stirred. She decided to get ready and let Spencer sleep in a little more. He never needed a lot of time to get ready anyway.

Evelyn walked into the bedroom to see Spencer sprawled out, tangled in his covers. His hair was splayed out over his face and pillow and his mouth was open just a bit so she could hear his heavy breathing. The room was dark and the bed inviting. She really wanted to just crawl back under the blankets with him and sleep all day, but they had to go in twenty minutes.

"Hey..." she mumbled, going to his side of the bed to entwine fingers through his hair. Spencer stirred in his sleep and moaned, but that was it. "Spencer." she said, rubbing his shoulder gently. He groaned again and rolled over so that he was facing away from her. Evie sighed and kissed his neck that was warm from that way his blankets were pulled up to cover it. He shivered underneath her from the contact.

"I know you can hear me." she said, pulling back to straighten and walk to the curtains. She yanked them open, letting sunlight flood into the room, bathing her and Spencer. He made a whining noise and pulled the covers over his head. Evie shook her head dissaprovingly. She walked tot he end of the bed and with one swift movement, she yanked them off. Spencer curled up, trying to defend agains the cold air in his pajama pants and tee shirt.

"Come on, sweetheart. We have to get to work." she said, walking around to the other side of the bed again to wrap her arms around his chest from behind. She pulled him backwards, slowly making progress in pulling him off of the bed. Once Spencer felt himself reach the edge of the bed, he began to thrash around in Evie's arms.

"Woah! Woah! Wait!" he protested as Evie pulled him over the edge and off of the bed. She wasn't strong enough to hold him up though, so they both fell to the floor, Spencer landing on top of her. She grunted from the weight of him on her body and laughed while watching him rub his face tiredly. "Joke's on you, I'm fine with this." Spencer said as he curled up on her chest and closed his eyes to fall asleep again.

"Spencer! Up!" she said, smiling despite herself. Spencer shook his head stubbornly so Evie reached down and tased him in the sides. Spencer jumped off of Evie with a yelp and stood, backing away from her.

"Evie..." he complained, his shoulders sagging with disappointment.

"You said you wanted to go!" she said as she held her hand up for him to take. Spencer took her hand in his and helped her stand. She kissed his lips softly for a moment before giving him a soft shove towards the bathroom. "Get moving." she said, watching him go. She'd let him stay home if it wasn't a special day at work. He didn't know that yet though.

Spencer walked through the familiar doors of the BAU building with Evie by his side. By habit of the last week he was tempted to hold her while they walked, but he reminded himself that he couldn't do that at work. They walked shoulder to shoulder at least as they approached the elevator. She punched the button in that lit up with an arrow pointing upwards. They waited for the elevator just barely brushing their hands up against each other. Evie held his, giving it a light squeeze before she let go before anyone saw.

"Hey, look who it is! Pretty Boy!" Morgan's voice boomed from behind them. Spencer's shoulders sagged as he waited for something like a slap on the back or severe violation of privacy. Ever since he woke up early this morning he was in a bad mood. He was used to sleeping nearly all day in the hospital. This was a rude awakening.

"How are you?" Morgan asked, putting an arm around Spencer's shoulders as the elevator doors dinged open. Spencer sighed and walked in beside Evie and Morgan.

"I'd be better if it wasn't seven in the morning." he mumbled, hitting the button with the fading seven painted on. It was getting easier to get used to his work schedule now. It all flooded back to him, the familiar sights creating nostalgia within him.

"Sorry, he's cranky today." Evie explained to Morgan. He raised his eyebrows at Spencer and gave him a light squeeze with the arm wrapped around him.

"You'll get used t to the schedule again." Derek assured him. Spencer knew he wasn't doing anything wrong. He just didn't feel like talking to Morgan at the moment so he just nodded and tiredly closed he eyes. "Hey..." Morgan said in a low voice, suddenly turning serious. Spencer opened his eyes, taken off guard from the change in tone. Morgan's dark eyes looked sincerely back at him. "We're just glad you're okay."

Spencer gave him a half grin and nodded. Morgan smiled back and nudged his shoulder as the elevator doors open.

"By the way, Hotch wants everyone in the round table room." Derek said, leaving Evie and Spencer standing by the elevator as he instantly made his way to the round table room. Evie looked completely unphased by his comment... almost too unphased, like she was trying to keep a straight face. Spencer didn't mean to profile her, it was just apparent in the way she was meticulous with her behaviour.

"So what are you hiding?" he asked suspiciously as they began walking in the direction Morgan walked off in. Evie looked at him like she was surprised, but it didn't fool Spencer. He knew her surprised face.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, obviously trying not to smile. Spencer snorted in amusement.

"You need to work on your poker face, Evs." he smiled at her. She rolled her eyes as they approached the closed door of the round table room.

"Just get in there, wonder boy." she said sarcastically. Spencer opened the door by the cool handle. The first thing he noticed was how the team was all gathered together behind the table, facing the door with eager glances.

"There he is!" Garcia squeeled, running forward in heels to wrap her arms around Spencer. He gave a confused smile, wrapping his arms around her and looking over his shoulder to see a cake and small decorations set up around the room.

"Surprise!" JJ smiled at him, walking around the table and getting a hug right after Garcia backed away. Spence gave a short laugh and wrapped an arm around Jayge too, leaning his head into hers.

"What is this?" he asked in amazement as Hotch got 'in line' next. He shook Spencer's hand with a smile on his face. He clapped his hand on Spencer's arm more gently than usual, knowing he was probably still hurting.

"It was Garcia's idea. She said you're not allowed back without a 'Welcome Back' slash 'We're so Damn Glad You're Okay' party." Morgan explained, already running the knife through the cake. Rossi gave Spencer his famous "italian kisses" on each of his cheeks and batted his upper back where the burns weren't so bad. Spence smiled at everyone, eventually landing on Evie. She smiled fondly back up at him and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Emily sends her regards. She apologises for not being able to come, she had to get back." JJ informed them. Spencer nodded. He was grateful for the time she did spend with them. She was head of a big coorperation though. He knew she couldn't stay forever.

"Here you are, Junior G Man." Garcia said, holding out the first piece of cake for Spencer on a light green party plate. He thanked her and played with the icing before taking a piece to eat.

Once everyone had a piece of cake, everyone seemed to be just staring at Spencer like they were waiting for him to do something. He looked around at all of them, awkwardly smiling with confusion as to why they were all acting like he was a celebrity or something.

"We're just really glad you're back, Reid." Hotch said, breaking the silence.

"Really. Really, really, really glad." Garcia said, her voiced strained as she was choking back tears. Morgan walked over to her to put an arm around her shoulders to comfort Pen. She leaned into his grip so he could kiss the top of her head.

"Thank you." Spencer said sincerely. "All of you. Really."

"Thanks for sticking around." Rossi said, smiling at Spencer.

"Around where?"

"Life!" Morgan joked. Spencer smiled and tightened his arm around Evie's waist.

"My pleasure."

The team had a pretty good day at 'work'. The serial killers actually had let them be for one day surprisingly, and it was one day that was well deserved. Spencer found out that the unsub who was apparently named Qiqiang Shen, was sentenced to prison for life. There was the possibility for the death penalty, but he had narrowly escaped. Spencer really didn't mind as long as he was no where near him.

"Hey." Evie said softly from the threshold of the round table room. Spencer had just finished talking to Rossi about the origins of Italian cooking when he heard her say it. He turned to see her in the doorway, her soft hair hanging down to her shoulders, her gray eyes sparkling up at his. She had a small smile on her face as she gestured her head to the side, telling him to come with her. He put his drink down on the table and followed her out, ignoring Morgan's suggestive whistling behind him.

Evie took his hand without a word and led him to an empty conference room. He followed her like a puppy dog, waiting to see what she'd do. When they both stood in the middle of the room alone, Evie turned and looked up at him.

"What are we doing in here?" Spencer asked as she took both of his hands and wrapped them around her own waist. Spencer got the gist and did it himself, pulling her close. Evie wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head against his chest. He rocked her out of habit like they were slowly dancing to imaginary music, just enjoying each other's presence.

"I just needed some alone time with my baby." she said into his chest, taking a deep breath and blowing hot breath into his shirt. She eventually pulled away to look up into Spencer's eyes, her eyes taking hold of his. He stared into their gray depts, remembering the first time they mesmerized him in the cafe. It felt like they'd been in love forever when in reality it had only been a little over a month.

"I love you." she whispered. Spencer pressed his forehead against hers and nudged his nose against hers as well.

"I love you too. Forever and ever." he said back, making her smile. She went on her tip toes to press her soft lips against his. Spencer tilted his head as his lips perfectly fit hers. He felt himself melt into her as she did the same into him. All that torture and torment he went through was definitely worth it, even if it meant just having this one moment. Spencer held what was miraculously his close, never planning to let go.

**A/N: The End! Sorry it's literally a tiny bit before midnight! The Second Book is Up! It's called: The Ones Who Descend Into Misery. Thank you to all who have read all of this story and who have given great amounts of support! I'm calling this the "Superfluous Series" so I'm super excited for Book 2! Thanks!**


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